2023-08-03 06:44:22
A flea bite that resulted in the amputation of hands and toes was the nightmare that happened to a young Texan. The chip had transmitted an infection to him. We explain to you.
Dr. Charlotte Tourmente
Written on 03/08/2023
Fleas, like lice, can carry bacteria capable of transmitting typhus. —Shutterstock
The infection just looked like a bad flu. But it cost 35-year-old Texan Michael Kohlhof his hands and toes. This is the amazing story reported by the Texas television channel Khou-11 News July 21.
It all starts with a fever and stomach pains, initially trivial, but which do not go away. On the contrary, the state of the American is deteriorating, justifying hospitalization in the emergency room and then in intensive care because of a septic shocka very serious infection that spreads throughout the body.
The events are linked in a dramatic way: a gangrene, that is to say a necrosis of the tissues, affects the hands and the feet of the thirty-something, requiring finally. amputation of hands and toes.
The culprit is identified: “Rickettsia”, a type of bacteria capable of transmitting typhus. The Texan had been bitten by fleas not long before, which passed it on to him.
What is typhus?
Fleas, like lice, rodents, or cats, are reservoirs of rickettsia and therefore of typhus.
The typhus is an infectious disease that has killed millions of people around the world for centuries. Today, major epidemics have ceased, but it remains present in a few homes, especially in densely populated areas where fleas can easily pass from body to body.
In the United States, it is considered rare and very punctual. But according to Texas records,
591 cas were reported in 2019.
A sometimes fatal infection
The typhus
manifested by chills, headache, fever and rash on the skin.
Usually, the fever subsides after a dozen days. But typhus can be fatal, especially in the elderly.
Another very serious complication that can occur: cardiovascular collapse, a phenomenon where blood pressure drops suddenly, resulting in insufficient vascularization of vital organs.
Effective treatment if started early
The treatment is all the more effective when it is started quickly after the first symptoms. Which was probably not the case with Michael Kohlhof.
As the infection has no specific symptoms, apart from the rash which is not always present, it is not easy to identify and treat it quickly.
Moreover, it is often complex to predict which patients will suffer from a severe form.
Insects: What to do in case of a bite? — The Mag of Health – France 5
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