Jagriti Rai (intern journalist), A disease transmitted by body lice that plagued soldiers during world war 1 (WW1) has been identified in a formerly homeless man in Canada
Trench fever is caused by the Bacterium Bartonella Quintana and is spread by the feces of body lice symptoms of trench fever include recurring fever, pain in the shins and back, headaches, and dizziness
Trench fever can lead to a potentially fatal heart infection known as endocarditis. Molecular testing and consultation with infectious disease experts are often needed for diagnosis
According to news reports, doctors in Canada say they have found Trench fever causing bacteria and associated heart problems in a formerly homeless man in Winnipeg and that three other cases had been recorded among. Similarly vulnerable men in the city over a six month period this year
One man was left with paralysis and speech difficulties after the infection led to a bleed in his brain. It is not the first team trench fever has been identified in recent years.
Some cases have occurred in healthy people with a low risk of body lice , but experts say the disease is particularly common among the homeless
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