Infectious Diseases in Critical Care Medicine

Table 6

Assessing the Patient for Category A Agents (

Continued

)

Pathogen(incubation period)

Systemic symptoms

Central nervoussystem

Cardiorespiratory

Gastrointestinal

Skin and mucousmembranes

Miscellaneous

Viral hemorrhagic fevers [filoviruses (e.g., Ebola, Marburg) and arenaviruses (e.g., Lassa, Machupo)]

Arenaviridae

Lassa fever

(7–14

days; range5 days–3 wk)

Gradual onset of

malaise, fever,and myalgia.

30% develop

permanent latesensorineuraldeafness. Suddenonset of deafnesshas been noted andno correlation withseverity of illness.

Cough and chest pain.

60% of childrenhave cough.

Abdominal pain,

nausea, andvomiting. 60% ofchildren havevomiting.

Conjunctival injection,

pharyngitis withwhite and yellowexudates or ulcers.

Mild disease improves

in 10 days.

High fever poor

prognostic sign.

Other neurologic

complications(tremors, confusion,seizures, and comaassociated withdeath).

Patients with severe

disease developfacial and laryngealedema, cyanosis,bleeding, andshock.Complicationsinclude pleural andpericardialeffusions.

Bloody diarrhea poor

prognostic sign.

Pharyngitis poor

prognostic sign.

Overall mortality 1–2%.

Pregnant women havethe highest mortality(16%).

Tachypnea poor

prognostic sign.

Guanarito virus:

Venezuelanhemorrhagic

fever

(7–14 days)

(Continued )

Bioterrorism Infections in Critical Care 449