Pogosta disease
Encyclopedia
Pogosta disease is a viral disease, established to be identical with other diseases, Karelian fever and Ockelbo disease. The names are derived from the words Pogosta, Karelia
and Ockelbo
, respectively.
It has long been suspected that the disease is caused by a Sindbis-like virus
, a positive-stranded RNA virus
belonging to the Alphavirus
genus and family Togaviridae
. In 2002 a strain of Sindbis was isolated from patients during an outbreak of the Pogosta disease in Finland
, confirming the hypothesis.
This disease is mainly found in the Eastern parts of Finland
; a typical Pogosta disease patient is a middle-aged person who has been infected through a mosquito
bite while picking berries in the autumn. The prevalence of the disease is about 100 diagnosed cases every year, with larger outbreaks occurring in 7-year intervals.
The symptoms of the disease include usually rash
, as well as mild fever
and other flu-like symptoms; in most cases the symptoms last less than 5 days. However, in some cases, the patients develop a painful arthritis
. There are no known chemical agents available to treat the disease.
Karelia
Karelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
and Ockelbo
Ockelbo
Ockelbo is a locality and the seat of Ockelbo Municipality, Gävleborg County, Sweden with 2,709 inhabitants in 2005.The name Ockelbo, spelt "De oklabo" in 1314, contains an old marine name *Ukle, referring to modern- day lake Bysjön. The name derives from the old Swedish word "ukla" meaning swell,...
, respectively.
It has long been suspected that the disease is caused by a Sindbis-like virus
Sindbis virus
Sindbis Virus is a member of the Togaviridae family, in the alphavirus subfamily. The virus was first isolated in 1952 in Cairo, Egypt. The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes SINV causes sindbis fever in humans and the symptoms include arthralgia, rash and malaise...
, a positive-stranded RNA virus
RNA virus
An RNA virus is a virus that has RNA as its genetic material. This nucleic acid is usually single-stranded RNA but may be double-stranded RNA...
belonging to the Alphavirus
Alphavirus
In biology and immunology, an alphavirus belongs to the group IV Togaviridae family of viruses, according to the system of classification based on viral genome composition introduced by David Baltimore in 1971. Alphaviruses, like all other group IV viruses have a positive sense single stranded RNA...
genus and family Togaviridae
Togaviridae
The Togaviridae are a family of viruses, including the following genera:* Genus Alphavirus; type species: Sindbis virus, Eastern equine encephalitis virus, Western equine encephalitis virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, Ross River virus, O'nyong'nyong virus, Chikungunya* Genus Rubivirus;...
. In 2002 a strain of Sindbis was isolated from patients during an outbreak of the Pogosta disease in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, confirming the hypothesis.
This disease is mainly found in the Eastern parts of Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
; a typical Pogosta disease patient is a middle-aged person who has been infected through a mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
bite while picking berries in the autumn. The prevalence of the disease is about 100 diagnosed cases every year, with larger outbreaks occurring in 7-year intervals.
The symptoms of the disease include usually rash
Rash
A rash is a change of the skin which affects its color, appearance or texture. A rash may be localized in one part of the body, or affect all the skin. Rashes may cause the skin to change color, itch, become warm, bumpy, chapped, dry, cracked or blistered, swell and may be painful. The causes, and...
, as well as mild fever
Fever
Fever is a common medical sign characterized by an elevation of temperature above the normal range of due to an increase in the body temperature regulatory set-point. This increase in set-point triggers increased muscle tone and shivering.As a person's temperature increases, there is, in...
and other flu-like symptoms; in most cases the symptoms last less than 5 days. However, in some cases, the patients develop a painful arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
. There are no known chemical agents available to treat the disease.