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Lassa fever |
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Lassa fever (lăs`ə), a severe viral disease occurring mostly in W Africa, characterized by high fever, muscle aches, mouth ulcers, and bleeding in the skin. The disease was first recognized in Lassa, Nigeria, in 1969. The causative virus belongs to a group called arenaviruses and is harbored by a rat, Mastomys natalensis. The virus is spread to humans via the rat's urine in airborne droplets or contaminated food. The disease can also be caught by medical personnel treating patients in hospitals.
The incubation period of Lassa fever is 3 to 17 days. Following fever and general malaise, later stages of the disease may include abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and petechiae, tiny purplish spots in the skin caused by leakage of blood from the capillaries. Heart and kidney failure may also occur in severe cases, and mortality is high, ranging from about 15% to, among pregnant women, as much as 60%. Treatment by injection of the antiviral drug ribavirin is often successful if begun early. See also hemorrhagic fever hemorrhagic fever , any of a group of viral diseases characterized by sudden onset, muscle and joint pain, fever, bleeding, and shock from loss of blood. Bleeding occurs in the form of leakage from capillaries in the internal organs and the skin and mucous membranes. Lassa fever a serious viral disease of Central West Africa, characterized by high fever and muscular pains Lassa fever [′läs·ə ‚fē·vər] (medicine) An acute, highly communicable exotic infection that is endemic in western Africa. Caused by an arenavirus (the Lassa virus), it is characterized by high fever, weakness, headaches, mouth ulcers, hemorrhages under the skin, heart and kidney failure, and a high mortality rate. Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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No references found | In the study, it was found that groups of guinea pigs infected with a virus similar to Lassa fever virus successfully recovered from the fatal disease after being treated with bavituximab alone or in combination with a common anti-viral medication. In a study in Nature Medicine, published by the London-based Nature group, bavituximab was put through its paces among guinea pigs infected with Pichinde virus -- a close relative of the Lassa fever virus, considered a potential bioterror weapon by the Pentagon. A serum specimen collected in May 1975 was sent to CDC, where an indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) titer of 256 was demonstrated against Lassa fever virus (E Rollin, pers. |
Lassa fever virus |
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