Cutaneous staphylococcus (Staphylococcus epidermidis) is a potentially fatal bacterium that is commonly found on the skin, oral mucosa, and genitourinary tract. Who is at risk of contracting cutaneous staphylococcus? What diseases does cutaneous staphylococcus cause? How to treat Staphylococcus epidermidis infection?
E. coli and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA bacteria) are dangerous and very fast-spreading bacteria. Staphylococcus aureus infection can cause diseases such as pneumonia, myocarditis, phlebitis and meningitis. In turn, the bacterium Escherichia coli (Escherichia coli), the cause of urinary tract infections, urethritis, and cystitis. The consequences of E.coli infection largely depend on the strain of bacteria.
Escherichia coli bacterium
Meanwhile, it turns out that Staphylococcus epidermidis, that is, cutaneous staphylococcus, is a much more dangerous bacterium. This bacterium becomes increasingly resistant to antibiotics and causes life-threatening infections after surgery.
What is cutaneous staphylococcus?
The content of the article
Staphylococcus epidermidis, a close relative of MRSA bacteria. It is so common that it is found on almost every person's skin. Cutaneous staphylococcus is part of the natural bacterial flora and is not dangerous when you are healthy - it is a deadly microorganism that is found throughout the world and remains dormant in most cases.
This type of staph is often ignored in clinical trials, and due to its ubiquity, it can evolve and genetically mutate between bacteria very quickly.
The problem with cutaneous staphylococcus occurs when immunity is reduced - then Staphylococcus epidermidis infection can cause a number of complications and become a risk factor for many diseases. Cutaneous staphylococcus is especially dangerous for people who have undergone invasive procedures.
Symptoms and forms of development of staphylococcal infection
Of course, the symptoms of Staphylococcus aureus depend on how and where the patient became infected. Much also depends on how well the patient's immune system works. But the most common symptoms are the following:
- Hyperthermia.
- Swelling, purulent rash, itching, red eyes.
- Impaired sense of smell and breathing, in general.
- Vomiting and nausea.
- Sore throat, cough.
- Rotovirus infection.
- Severe headache, epilepsy, shortness of breath.
- Myalgia, arthralgia.
Most often, patients do not show signs of Staphylococcus aureus The person feels the same as before, there are no signs of illness. But as soon as something provokes a weakening of the immune system, the development of pathology begins.
causes of staphylococcus
There is some difference in the effects of staphylococcus on a woman and a man. A woman has an anatomically short urethra located next to the vagina. This feature allows saprophytic flora to enter the bladder and cause cystitis.
Young children do not yet have a strong immune system. Therefore, they are at risk of contracting staphylococcus. This predisposition decreases with age. And at an older age, this infection is not so terrible for a child. At an early age it can cause many problems. And in the most difficult cases, even lead to the death of the patient.
Cutaneous staphylococcus - symptoms
Symptoms of activation of staphylococcal infection:
- skin changes;
- boils and skin rashes;
- pain at the site of a staph infection;
- ulcer formation.
Staph Infection
Symptoms of cutaneous staph are nonspecific—each case of cutaneous staph may have slightly different symptoms depending on what part of the body is affected. People undergoing surgery should pay attention to the symptoms of cutaneous staphylococcus.
Why are staphylococcus and streptococcus dangerous?
useful to know therapy therapist bacteria
Why are staphylococcus and streptococcus dangerous?
Streptococci and staphylococci are widespread in nature and are in close connection with the human body. The structural features and biochemistry of these bacteria determine the pattern of diseases that they provoke.
How do bacteria behave in the body and what diseases do they cause?
Staphylococci are a whole genus of microorganisms; 27 species are already known today, with 14 species found on human skin and mucous membranes. Most staphylococci are absolutely harmless: of the 14 available species, only 3 are capable of causing disease, but these three are more than enough.
In terms of epidemics, the most dangerous types of staphylococci are:
— Staphylococcus aureus (Staphylococcus aureus); — Staphylococcus saprophitics (St. saprophytics); — Staphylococcus epidermidis (St. epidermidis).
Staphylococci are quite stable in the external environment: they can withstand freezing while maintaining their pathogenic properties, are not susceptible to drying out, and can withstand sunlight for several hours. They are capable of producing an enzyme that makes bacteria resistant to penicillin antibiotics unprotected by clavulanic acid.
Streptococci are a whole family of microorganisms. Under a microscope they look like a chain of balls. Among this family there are those that are not dangerous to humans, but several species cause a fairly large number of dangerous diseases from food poisoning to purulent processes almost anywhere in the body.
Classification of streptococci:
- hemolytic group beta (Streptococcus haemoliticus); — greening alpha groups (Streptococcus viridans); - non-hemolytic gamma groups (Streptococcus anhaеmoliticus).
Streptococci are resistant in the external environment. They are able to tolerate cold temperatures, can live on various surfaces for a long time, and can tolerate drying, but this deprives them of their pathogenicity. The intestinal group of these cocci is characterized by better resistance.
Ways of infection with staphylococci and streptococci:
Staphylococcal and streptococcal infections are similar in their methods of infection. Infection with these infections can occur through contact, household contact, food, water, through the air, and endogenous infection is possible. It is worth highlighting a complex of provoking factors contributing to the development of the disease:
— hypothermia; - metabolic disorders; — eating disorders; - defect of the immune system; - a recent illness of another etiology (acute respiratory viral infection, influenza); - taking immunosuppressive drugs (corticosteroids, cytostatics) and others.
Prevalence of staphylococci and streptococci:
Staphylococci are more common in nature than other cocci; in humans they live on the skin and mucous membranes. For the most part, these are non-pathogenic microorganisms, however, there is also a small percentage of pathogenic forms. For many people, such bacteria live constantly, in the pharynx and nasal cavity. There is a category of individuals who are carriers of a large number of pathogenic microbes that can cause disease. Carriers are the main source of infection, as they easily spread pathogenic strains of bacteria.
Streptococci are less common in nature. They inhabit the tonsils, mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, oral cavity, and gastrointestinal tract. Very often, the disease is endogenous in nature, that is, it is provoked by a microorganism that is located inside the body. Cases of exogenous infection cannot be excluded. Secondary processes after other diseases are often streptococcal in nature.
Why are staphylococci and streptococci dangerous?
Staphylococcus and streptococcus cause a huge range of purulent diseases. What they have in common is their behavior during wound infections. They penetrate the tissues and can remain unnoticed by the immune system for some time, filling the spaces between the fascia, melting the surrounding tissues. They are characterized by rapid penetration into the bloodstream and generalization with a septic state. Streptococcus and staphylococcus are constantly present in the body, but cause diseases only when immunity is reduced.
Staphylococci, as a rule, affect the skin and its appendages, causing the following pathologies:
- boils (purulent inflammation of one hair follicle); — carbuncles (purulent inflammation of a group of hair follicles); — phlegmon (a purulent focus in the subcutaneous fat that does not have clear boundaries); - abscesses (a clearly defined cavity containing pus); — lymphadenitis (damage to the lymph nodes of a purulent nature); - wound infection.
In addition, they can cause
- pneumonia;
- bronchitis;
- pleurisy;
- infections of the oropharynx (pharyngitis, tonsillitis);
- sinusitis;
- otitis;
- conjunctivitis.
Often staphylococcal infection occurs in the form of food toxic infection. It develops when bacterial toxins enter the body with poor-quality food. In addition, staphylococcus can provoke gastroenteritis, colitis, cholecystitis, and lesions of the urogenital tract (cystitis, urethritis, prostatitis, vulvitis) are noted. There are frequent cases of infections occurring in the postoperative period and after childbirth. When the process is generalized, that is, when it enters the blood, staphylococcus can cause an infection wherever it enters with its current. These may be meninges (meningitis), abscesses in the brain, pyelonephritis, secondary pneumonia, endocarditis, osteomyelitis and others. They rarely lead to chronic diseases and are characterized by the formation of a short-term unstable immunity in a person after an illness.
Staphylococcal sepsis is a serious threat to the patient’s life. It occurs when a microorganism penetrates from the primary focus into the blood and other organs. Streptococci cause both acute and chronic diseases. Acute processes include:
- scarlet fever,
- acute tonsillitis (tonsillitis),
- pharyngitis,
- periodontitis,
- bronchitis,
- pneumonia,
- streptoderma,
- abscesses of various localizations.
- Urinary tract infections, otitis, and nephritis are no exception.
By analogy with staphylococci, these bacteria are causative agents of wound infections and can cause phlegmon, abscesses, and purulent tissue melting. They are also characterized by generalization with the entry of microbes into the blood, they are carried by its current and cause inflammation: endocarditis, secondary pneumonia, meningitis, pyelonephritis, and so on. A feature of streptococci is the ability to cause acute rheumatic fever, acute post-infectious glomerulonephritis, and erysipelas. Acute rheumatic fever begins 10 to 14 days after a streptococcal (beta-hemolytic type of group A) infection. It has its own major and minor diagnostic criteria. If its manifestations are not eliminated in time, this will lead to the formation of heart disease, heart failure.
Conclusion
Streptococci, like staphylococci, are the cause of many diseases. These microorganisms are an integral part of the external environment and very often come into contact with people. They live in the human body and do not cause problems until his immunity is weakened. Therefore, timely treatment is necessary to avoid complications.
Author of the article: Gunay Agarzaeva
Photo source: Internet
Cutaneous staphylococcus in a child
A child's immune system is more sensitive than an adult's, so cutaneous staphylococcus can be dangerous even for the youngest. If a child has skin lesions, he should be carefully treated, dressed and protected from external factors to avoid infection. If your child has skin changes for no reason, consult a doctor.
Staphylococci in a child can cause folliculitis, staphylococcal sycosis, and multiple abscesses. Conditions such as bullous impetigo, bullous inflammation and peeling skin can occur as a result of staph infection in newborns.
Causes and types of diseases, mechanism of infection
Very often, infection occurs in a hospital setting.
Staphylococcus aureus ranks high on the list of pathogens that enter the body of patients while in a hospital setting.
The range of diseases caused by bacteria is striking in its diversity:
- Skin infections - carbuncles, boils, cellulitis, folliculitis, bullous impetigo.
- Respiratory tract infections - pneumonia, sore throat.
- Infections of the central nervous system - meningitis, brain abscess, thrombophlebitis of the superficial veins of the brain.
- Urinary tract infections – cystitis, urethritis.
- Infections of bones, joints, muscles - osteomyelitis, purulent arthritis, purulent myositis.
The causes of staphylococcal infections include the following factors:
- presence of chronic diseases;
- weakened immune system;
- taking a large number of medications;
- avitaminosis;
- frequent stress;
- infection from a carrier;
- living conditions that do not meet sanitary and epidemiological standards.
Infection with Staphylococcus aureus is particularly dangerous for both children and adults. Microorganisms are highly resistant to most drugs and adverse external factors.
A peculiarity of this species is its ability to produce endotoxins, which cause general intoxication of the body, and with late medical intervention - sepsis and infectious-toxic shock.
