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As of May 24, there have been at least six confirmed cases of the rare zoonotic glanders disease in Siquijor
Authorities are working to contain the spread of glanders that has so far led to at least six cases in humans in Siquijor.
The Department of Health (DOH) has activated a task force, which includes staff from the Department of Agriculture and local government units, with a goal to prevent an increase in cases and the spread to nearby provinces.
Glanders is a rare and potentially deadly disease caused by the bacterium Burkholderia mallei. The World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) considers glanders life-threatening that mainly affects horses, donkeys, or mules. However, this disease can also spread to cats, dogs, and even humans.
How humans get glanders disease
The WOAH notes on its website that “humans are accidental hosts and human-to-human transmission is rare,” as animals are primarily infected by the disease. Both the WOAH and the New York health department said that humans can be infected through direct contact with infected animals.
The following can also cause infection, as reported by the WOAH: ingestion of contaminated food or water, contact with contaminated aerosols from the coughing and sneezing of an infected person, and contact with contaminated objects.
The organism that causes glanders can enter the body via skin cuts or scrapes, or through the mucous membranes of the eyes and nose, according to the New York health department. It added that it can also spread through the bodily fluids of an infected person.
Symptoms of glanders disease
Signs and symptoms of infection start to develop one to five days after infection. Symptoms vary depending on how the bacteria enters the human body.
There are four recognized clinical presentations of glanders, according to WOAH: nasal, pulmonary, cutaneous, and asymptomatic carrier. Nasal and pulmonary forms tend to be more acute, while cutaneous is chronic.
A sticky yellow discharge is seen in nasal infections caused by inflamed nodules and ulcers in the nasal passages. This is followed by stellate scarring upon healing of the ulcers.
Nodular abscesses, meanwhile, can form in the lungs, accompanied by progressive physical weakness, coughing, and diarrhea, if there is pulmonary infection.
A cutaneous infection, which primarily affects the skin, can lead to enlarged lymph vessels, followed by the formation of nodular abscesses that then ulcerate and discharge yellow pus. These nodules are often found in the liver and spleen.
Common symptoms include the following, as listed by the New York health department on its website:
- Fever with chills and sweating
- Muscle aches
- Chest pain
- Muscle tightness
- Headache
Additional symptoms include:
- Excessive tearing of the eyes
- Light sensitivity
- Ulcers
- Diarrhea (loose stool/poop)
How do you diagnose and treat glanders?
Laboratory tests look for Burkholderia mallei in a person’s blood, saliva, urine, or skin lesion to determine if a person is infected with glanders disease.
There is currently no vaccine to prevent the infection. The New York health department says on its website that sulfadiazine, a type of antibiotic, has been found to be an effective treatment for glanders in both humans and animals. The WOAH says on its website that fatality rates for untreated glander infections are very high.
How do you control the spread of glanders?
The key to preventing human infection is the identification and elimination of infected animals, according to WOAH.
Some of the key control measures it recommended include monitoring for glanders in vulnerable animal populations, identification and humane euthanasia for infected animals, imposing quarantine measures, cleaning and disinfection of infected farms, and “[destroying] all euthanized animals and any contaminated materials through incineration.”
In a Facebook post, the Department of Health (DOH) in Negros Island Region reminded the public of the following precautionary measures to avoid contracting glanders:
- Do not eat meat from sick or dead animals.
- Drink only clean, safe water. If in doubt, boil water for two minutes before drinking or using it.
- Avoid touching sick or dead animals.
- Wash your hands frequently, especially after handling animals.
- Avoid swimming or bathing in rivers or springs where animals have been.
– Rappler.com
