Staphylococcus aureus is a very common and very dangerous opportunistic bacterium that can infect any person, regardless of gender and age. These microorganisms are widespread in rooms with many people.
The source of infection is an infected adult or child. Pathogenic microorganisms are activated in those who have a sharp decrease in immunity or a deterioration in general condition. View Instagram posts, stories, followers anonymously SmiHub.com Browse Instagram with the best experience.
One of the most difficult types of staphylococcus is golden. It is he who causes various throat diseases. And with its overly active reproduction, a person can even get a purulent sore throat.
Despite the fact that the microorganism itself is sufficiently studied, the staphylococcal infection caused by it remains one of the most serious diseases in terms of treatment. This interesting fact is due to the high variability of staphylococcus and its ability to quickly produce resistance to various antibiotics (especially if the patient does not comply with the dose, frequency of administration of the drug and course duration).
Staphylococcus aureus: what is it?
Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium that looks like a ball. The disease is very common. According to the data, 20% of the world's population are already direct carriers of staphylococcus.
It is found everywhere: on the skin, in the nose, in the intestines, throat and even on the genitals. This prevalence also affects the number of diseases that the bacteria can accompany and cause.
Among the main reasons contributing to the development of staphylococcal infection are:
- The presence of chronic diseases;
- Decreased immunity due to stress, vitamin deficiency, antibiotics, malnutrition and taking immunity-suppressing drugs;
- Interaction with a potential carrier of infection (for example, tonsillitis, which is transmitted by airborne droplets);
- Non-observance of sanitary standards with cuts, abrasions, open wounds on the body. Infection of a wound with staphylococcus can lead to its suppuration and lead, ultimately, to blood poisoning;
- Eating unwashed fruits, vegetables and other foods contaminated with bacteria.
Often, Staphylococcus aureus infection affects children. Risk factors in this case are:
- Abnormal pregnancy;
- Long dry period during labor;
- Gestosis during pregnancy;
- Hypotrophy of the newborn;
- The birth of a premature baby;
- Failure to comply with the personal hygiene of the child.
The biggest problem with fighting staphylococcus is that it has amazing vitality. This microorganism cannot be affected by cold, direct sunlight, or lack of moisture. Even practically dried up staphylococcus bacteria retain their properties.
How is Staphylococcus aureus transmitted
In most cases, infection occurs in medical facilities. Staphylococcus aureus is transmitted both by airborne droplets and through food (contaminated meat, eggs, dairy products, cakes, cream cakes) or household items.
The infection can also enter the child's body through microtraumas of the skin or mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. Premature and immunocompromised babies are at the greatest risk of infection. During childbirth, through wounds or scratches, and through breast milk, the mother can infect the baby. If bacteria enter the mother's body through cracks in the nipples, then this can lead to purulent mastitis in her.
Staphylococcus aureus in children and newborns
One of the toxins produced by Staphylococcus aureus, exfoliatin, tends to severely affect newborns. The secreted poison penetrates the pores of the skin and provokes the appearance of blisters, which outwardly resemble burns and because of this are called the "scalded baby" syndrome.
This disease rarely affects newborns, as they are protected for 6 months by the immunity received from the mother milk, in parallel from the contact of the baby with bacteria, additional immunity is developed, which continues it protect. To prevent diseases in a child, it is necessary to carefully monitor his hygiene and nutrition.
Why is this bacterium dangerous?
When the body's defenses are weakened, the infection wakes up and causes various diseases, up to blood poisoning or sepsis. The high pathogenicity of Staphylococcus aureus is associated with three factors.
- Firstly, the microorganism is highly resistant to antiseptics and environmental factors (withstands boiling for 10 minutes, drying, freezing, ethyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, except "Brilliant green").
- Secondly, Staphylococcus aureus produces the enzymes penicillinase and lidase, which makes it protected from almost all antibiotics of the penicillin series and helps to melt the skin, including sweat glands, and penetrate deep into organism.
- And thirdly, the microbe produces endotoxin, which leads to both food poisoning and a syndrome of general intoxication of the body, up to the development of an infectious-toxic shock.
And, of course, it should be noted that there is no immunity to the disease, so an adult or a child who has managed to cure Staphylococcus aureus may become infected again.
Staphylococcus aureus symptoms
In children and adults, staphylococci cause various lesions - abscesses, sycosis, hydradenitis, dermatitis, carbuncles, eczema, periostitis, panaritium, osteomyelitis, blepharitis, folliculitis, furuncles, pyoderma, pneumonia, meningitis, peritonitis, cholecystitis, appendicitis.
Let's consider the most common diseases that can cause Staphylococcus aureus.
- Gastrointestinal tract. Within a few hours after eating food that has been seeded with staphylococci, the development of food toxicosis begins. Repeated vomiting begins, nausea and dry mouth appear. Disturbed by diarrhea and abdominal pain.
- Skin diseases. Depending on the area affected by staphylococcus, skin diseases are divided into phlegmons or abscesses, boils or carbuncles. A furuncle is characterized by slight redness, thickening and soreness of the skin, a carbuncle is a more serious disease in which several hair follicles are involved at once. May be accompanied by fever, weakness, loss of strength.
- Pneumonia: most often found in children, especially in small children, it is also diagnosed in weakened people; characterized by a short period of initial fever with rapid development of respiratory failure, severe symptoms of obstruction may occur.
- Mucous. The pathogen is often found in the nasopharynx and throat. If an infection develops, inflammation is observed in the ears, nose, throat. In severe forms, otitis media, sinusitis occur. The pustular secret does not always come to the surface. Unfortunately, this makes diagnosis difficult.
- Bacterial endocarditis is one of the complications of staphylococcal bacteremia. Most often it develops in people with a weakened immune system, as well as in drug addicts.
- Ritter's disease or “scalded skin” syndrome, another manifestation of staphylococcal infection, which occurs mainly in newborns and young children. In its manifestations, the disease can resemble scarlet fever (a similar rash) or erysipelas (a focus of red inflamed skin with even borders), which are found in streptococcal infections.
- Toxic shock is the most severe disease that causes Staphylococcus aureus. It starts suddenly and proceeds with fever, dizziness and headache, low blood pressure, palpitations, and vomiting. A rash in the form of spots appears all over the body or in some places. A week later, peeling of the skin is observed.
As you can see, depending on the area of Staphylococcus aureus, the symptoms in children and adults are fundamentally different. They are directly related to the place where bacteria enter the body, the state of the patient's immune system and the aggressiveness of the pathogen. Appropriate how to treat Staphylococcus aureus will depend on the specific location of the infection.
How to prevent infection
Adhere to certain preventive measures to avoid infection.
- Observe good hygiene rules, wash your hands well;
- Do not touch, do not scratch wounds, skin rashes;
- Do not use other people's hygiene items: razors, combs, towels, etc .;
- Follow all rules for heat treatment and storage of food.
It should be noted that severe forms of staphylococcal infection are rare and, as a rule, in children with poor health, congenital diseases, and developmental defects.
Treatment of Staphylococcus aureus in adults
Staphylococcus aureus is an unusually tenacious bacterium. As the saying goes, it does not sink in water, does not burn in fire. Highly resistant to environmental factors. It does not always die with various methods of disinfection: boiling, quartzing, the use of antiseptics, disinfection, autoclaving. This is the complexity of the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus. It is difficult to find antibacterial drugs that would act on staphylococcus aureus. Immunity to this bacterium is not developed, diseases can recur.
It is possible to cure Staphylococcus aureus, but due to the fact that this microorganism is able to develop resistance to antibiotics, the treatment process is sometimes complicated. The course of the prescribed antibiotics must be completed completely, since if the patient does not complete the course, then not all will die Staphylococcus aureus (in the intestine or in another organ), and subsequently it will acquire resistance to this the drug.
If antibiotic therapy is ineffective or impossible, patients are prescribed staphylococcal bacteriophage, which, in fact, is a bacterial virus. Its advantages are that it acts only on certain pathogenic microorganisms, without damaging the normal microflora, has no contraindications and side effects.
The most terrible enemies of staphylococcus are brilliant green solution (ordinary brilliant green) and chlorophyllipt in the form of an oil or alcohol solution. Zelenka is used to treat skin wounds. Chlorophyllipt is prescribed by a doctor to sanitize the nasopharynx and throat.
Staphylococcus aureus in the intestine: symptoms and treatment
In most cases, the incubation period after infection with the type of bacteria in question is no more than a day, so the first signs can appear after 5-6 hours.
Staphylococcus aureus in the intestine has the following symptoms:
- indigestion, expressed by loose stools, while the urge to use the toilet is very frequent (up to 10 times a day), and the consistency of the outgoing masses is watery with impurities of mucus or even blood;
- cutting intense pain in the epigastric region and lower abdomen;
- nausea, severe vomiting;
- noticeable diaper rash;
- an increase in body temperature to low values;
- weakening of the body, fatigue.
The "fight" against staphylococcal infection is aimed at:
- suppression of the activity of the pathogen;
- improved immunity;
- stimulation of metabolic processes;
- treatment of chronic diseases that weaken the body.
The choice of treatment method is based on the results of stool analysis.
Staphylococcus aureus in the nose: symptoms and treatment
The favorite habitat of Staphylococcus aureus is the nasal cavity. Moreover, it can be found in perfectly healthy people. Many are simply carriers of the pathogenic bacteria for a long time.
Symptoms of staphylococcus in the nose include:
- redness of the mucous epithelium lining the nasopharynx;
- atrophy of the mucous epithelium of the nasopharynx;
- runny nose, insensitive to treatment;
- increased body temperature;
- general intoxication;
- the appearance on the mucous membrane of the nose of pustular formations.
The presence of staphylococcal infection quite often leads to the development of sinusitis, chronic rhinitis, frontal sinusitis, as well as atrophy of the nasal mucosa. Treatment of staphylococcus in the nose is necessary in cases where the disease leads to inflammatory processes and the occurrence of sinusitis, chronic or acute rhinitis. Its activity in the body is due to a weakened immune system.
Staphylococcus aureus in the throat: symptoms and treatment
Carriage of infection is usually asymptomatic. With the weakening of the body's defenses, Staphylococcus aureus in the throat can cause symptoms of purulent sore throat:
- a sudden rise in body temperature;
- Strong headache;
- weakness, loss of appetite;
- enlargement of the tonsils, resulting in discomfort when swallowing food, hyperemia of the mucous membrane and the appearance
- purulent plaque;
- an increase in regional lymph nodes.
A distinctive feature of these diseases in the presence of Staphylococcus aureus in the throat is purulent discharge. As a treatment for staphylococcus in the throat, antibiotics are usually prescribed by a specialist in order to cope with the infection as soon as possible and prevent the likelihood of a relapse at least for the near future.
Before treating staphylococcus in the throat, it is necessary to take into account the presence of an individual intolerance to the components of the drug, therefore, a special complex must be selected for each patient treatment. The dosage is also set by the attending physician depending on the age and weight category.