What is Staphylococcus aureus

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Staphylococcus aureus - treatment, symptoms and photos

Staphylococcus aureus is a very common and very dangerous opportunistic bacterium that can affect anyone, regardless of gender and age.

Table of contents:

These microorganisms are widespread in rooms where there are 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 their general condition.

One of the most difficult types of staphylococcus is considered golden. It is this that causes various throat diseases. And if it multiplies excessively, a person can even get a purulent sore throat.

Despite the fact that the microorganism itself has been sufficiently studied, the staphylococcal infection it causes 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 develop resistance to various antibiotics (especially if the patient does not comply with the dose, frequency of medication and duration of the course).

Staphylococcus aureus: what is it?

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium that resembles a ball in appearance. The disease is very common. According to 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 bacterium can accompany and cause.

Among the main reasons contributing to the development of staphylococcal infection are:

  1. Presence of chronic diseases;
  2. Decreased immunity due to stress, vitamin deficiencies, taking antibiotics, poor nutrition and taking drugs that suppress the immune system;
  3. Interaction with a potential carrier of infection (for example, tonsillitis, which is transmitted by airborne droplets);
  4. Failure to comply with sanitary standards for cuts, abrasions, and open wounds on the body. Infection of a wound with staphylococcus can lead to its suppuration and ultimately lead to blood poisoning;
  5. Eating unwashed fruits, vegetables and other bacteria-contaminated foods.

Often, Staphylococcus aureus infection also affects children. The risk factors in this case are:

  1. Pathological pregnancy;
  2. Long anhydrous period during childbirth;
  3. Preeclampsia during pregnancy;
  4. Hypotrophy of the newborn;
  5. The birth of a premature baby;
  6. Failure to comply with the child's personal hygiene.

The biggest problem when fighting staph is that it has amazing vitality. Neither cold, nor direct sunlight, nor lack of moisture can affect this microorganism. Even practically dried staphylococcus bacteria retain their properties.

How is Staphylococcus aureus transmitted?

In most cases, infection occurs in medical institutions. Staphylococcus aureus is transmitted both by airborne droplets and through food (contaminated meat, eggs, dairy products, cakes, cream pies) 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 babies and children with weakened immune systems are at greatest risk of infection. During childbirth, through wounds or scratches, or through breast milk, a mother can infect her baby. If bacteria enter the mother's body through cracks in the nipples, this can lead to purulent mastitis in her.

Staphylococcus aureus in children and newborns

One of the toxins produced by Staphylococcus aureus, exfoliatin, has the property of severely affecting newborns. The released poison penetrates the pores of the skin and provokes the appearance of blisters, which are similar in appearance to burns and because of this are called “scalded baby” syndrome.

This disease rarely affects newborns since they are protected for 6 months by the immunity received from mother’s milk; in parallel, additional immunity is developed from the baby’s contact with bacteria, which continues to protect him. To prevent diseases in a child, it is necessary to carefully monitor his hygiene and nutrition.

How dangerous is this bacterium?

When the body's defenses are weakened, the infection awakens and causes various diseases, including blood poisoning or sepsis. The high pathogenicity of Staphylococcus aureus is associated with three factors.

  1. Firstly, the microorganism is highly resistant to antiseptics and environmental factors (withstands boiling for 10 minutes, drying, freezing, ethyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, with the exception of brilliant green).
  2. Secondly, Staphylococcus aureus produces the enzymes penicillinase and lidase, which makes it protected from almost all penicillin antibiotics and helps melt the skin, including sweat glands, and penetrate deep into the body.
  3. 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 infectious-toxic shock.

And, of course, it should be noted that there is no immunity to the disease, so an adult or child who managed to cure Staphylococcus aureus can become infected again.

Symptoms of Staphylococcus aureus

In children and adults, staphylococci cause various lesions - abscesses, sycosis, hidradenitis, dermatitis, carbuncles, eczema, periostitis, panaritium, osteomyelitis, blepharitis, folliculitis, boils, pyoderma, pneumonia, meningitis, peritonitis, cholecystitis, appendicitis.

Let's look at the most common diseases that Staphylococcus aureus can cause.

  1. Gastrointestinal tract. Within a few hours after eating food that has been contaminated with staphylococci, the development of food toxicosis begins. Repeated vomiting begins, nausea and dry mouth appear. Worried about diarrhea and abdominal pain.
  2. 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 that involves several hair follicles at once. May be accompanied by fever, weakness, loss of strength.
  3. Pneumonia: most often found in children, especially small ones, 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.
  4. Mucous. Often the pathogen is found in the nasopharynx and throat. If an infection develops, inflammatory processes are observed in the ears, nose, and throat. In severe forms, otitis media and sinusitis occur. The pustular secretion does not always come to the surface. Unfortunately, this makes diagnosis difficult.
  5. Bacterial endocarditis is one of the complications of staphylococcal bacteremia. It most often develops in people with weakened immune systems, as well as in drug addicts.
  6. Ritter's disease or scalded skin syndrome is another manifestation of staphylococcal infection, occurring mainly in newborns and young children. In its manifestations, the disease may resemble scarlet fever (a similar rash) or erysipelas (a patch of red, inflamed skin with smooth borders), found in streptococcal infections.
  7. Toxic shock is the most severe disease caused by Staphylococcus aureus. It begins suddenly and occurs with fever, dizziness and headache, low blood pressure, palpitations and vomiting. A rash appears in the form of spots all over the body or in some places. After a week, peeling of the skin is observed.

As you can see, depending on the area affected by Staphylococcus aureus, the symptoms in children and adults are radically different. They are directly related to the place of introduction of the bacterium into the body, the state of the patient’s immune system and the aggressiveness of the pathogen. How to treat Staphylococcus aureus will depend on the specific location of the infection.

How to prevent infection

Follow certain preventive measures to avoid infection.

  1. Follow hygiene rules, wash your hands well;
  2. Do not touch or scratch wounds or rashes on the skin;
  3. Do not use other people’s hygiene items: razors, combs, towels, etc.;
  4. Follow all rules for heat treatment and storage of food.

It is worth noting 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 is an unusually tenacious bacterium. As they say, it doesn’t sink in water and doesn’t burn in fire. Highly resistant to environmental factors. It does not always die with various methods of disinfection: boiling, quartzing, using antiseptics, disinfection, autoclaving. This is the difficulty of treating Staphylococcus aureus. It is difficult to select antibacterial drugs that would act on staphylococcus. Immunity to this bacterium is not developed, and diseases can recur.

It is possible to cure Staphylococcus aureus, but due to the fact that this microorganism can develop resistance to antibiotics, the treatment process is sometimes more complicated. The course of prescribed antibiotics must be completed in full, since if the patient does not complete the course, not all Staphylococcus aureus will die (in the intestines or in another organ), and subsequently it will acquire resistance to this drug.

If antibacterial therapy is ineffective or impossible, patients are prescribed staphylococcal bacteriophage, which is essentially a bacterial virus. Its advantages are that it affects only certain pathogenic microorganisms, without damaging the normal microflora, and has no contraindications or side effects.

The most terrible enemies of staphylococcus are a solution of brilliant green (ordinary brilliant green) and chlorophyllipt in the form of an oil or alcohol solution. Zelenka is used to treat wounds on the skin. Chlorophyllipt is prescribed by a doctor for the rehabilitation of the nasopharynx and throat.

Staphylococcus aureus in the intestines: 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 may appear after 5-6 hours.

Staphylococcus aureus in the intestines has the following symptoms:

  • indigestion, expressed by loose stools, with the urge to go to the toilet very frequent (up to 10 times a day), and the consistency of the waste mass is watery with admixtures of mucus or even blood;
  • intense cutting pain in the epigastric region and lower abdomen;
  • nausea, severe vomiting;
  • noticeable diaper rash;
  • increase in body temperature to low values;
  • weakness of the body, fatigue.

The “fight” against staphylococcal infection is aimed at:

  • suppression of pathogen activity;
  • improvement of immunity;
  • stimulation of metabolic processes;
  • treatment of chronic diseases that weaken the body.

The choice of treatment method is made based on the results of a stool analysis.

Staphylococcus aureus in the nose: symptoms and treatment

The favorite habitat of Staphylococcus aureus is the nasal cavity. Moreover, it can be detected in completely healthy people. Many people are simply carriers of pathogenic bacteria for a long time.

  • 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 of pustular formations on the nasal mucosa.

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 weakened immunity.

Staphylococcus aureus in the throat: symptoms and treatment

Carriage of the infection is usually asymptomatic. When the body's defenses are weakened, Staphylococcus aureus in the throat can cause symptoms of purulent sore throat:

  • sudden rise in body temperature;
  • Strong headache;
  • weakness, loss of appetite;
  • enlargement of the tonsils, which may result in discomfort when swallowing food, hyperemia of the mucous membrane and the appearance
  • purulent plaque;
  • enlargement of 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, a specialist usually prescribes antibiotics in order to cope with the infection as soon as possible and prevent the likelihood of relapse, at least in the near future.

Before treating staphylococcus in the throat, it is necessary to take into account the presence of individual intolerance to the components of the drug, therefore a special treatment package must be selected for each patient. The dosage is also determined by the attending physician depending on the age and weight category.

Good to know:

We recommend reading:

Staphylococcus aureus in the throat: symptoms and treatment

How to treat staphylococcus in the nose and throat

4 comments

Hello, for two years I have had pain in my big toe, they cut it 7 times, removed the nail plate, took antibiotics, gave injections, nothing helps. They took an analysis for mushrooms; they were not there. They determined that I have Staphylococcus aureus, they took a test for sensitivity to antibiotics, while I’m taking the medications, everything seems to be going away, I just finished it, everything is clearing up, it hurts. Please tell me what to do.

To kill Staphylococcus aureus microbes, try drinking fly agaric mushroom tincture.

Men are our protection and support of health. Especially sex, which they love and cannot live without.

I wonder who else believes in this nonsense?

From a young age I was convinced that antibiotics are my protection and support.

No matter how much I crossed them in my young life, something keeps pouring out throughout my life. The trouble is that no one knows anything before the tests. After all the paid procedures and medications, you are generally completely perplexed from where and what is coming from.

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Transcription of analyzes online

Doctors consultation

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Only a qualified doctor can treat diseases.

Source: http://simptomy-lechenie.net/zolotistyj-stafilokokk-lechenie-simptomy-i-foto/

Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus (Staphylococcus aureus) is a spherical, nonmotile and aerobic (capable of existing in the air) Gram-staining bacterium that causes various diseases in children and, less commonly, in adults.

Staphylococcus aureus gets its name from the golden glow it produces when sown on a nutrient medium. Translated from the Greek slaphyle - “bunch” and coccus - “spherical”, staphylococcus under a microscope resembles a bunch of grapes. Staphylococcus aureus is widespread in the environment; it can be sown from household items, from toys, from medical instruments, from breast milk and affected skin and mucous membranes of a sick and healthy person.

Why is Staphylococcus aureus dangerous?

Normally, Staphylococcus aureus lives on the skin and mucous membranes of almost all people. But healthy people with good immunity do not suffer from staphylococcal infection, since normal microflora suppresses the growth of staphylococcus and does not allow its pathogenic essence to manifest itself. But when the body’s defenses are weakened, the microbe “raises its head” and causes various diseases, including 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, with the exception of brilliant green).
  • Secondly, Staphylococcus aureus produces the enzymes penicillinase and lidase, which makes it protected from almost all penicillin antibiotics and helps melt the skin, including sweat glands, and penetrate deep into the body.
  • 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 infectious-toxic shock.

And, of course, it should be noted that there is no immunity to Staphylococcus aureus, and a person who has had a staphylococcal infection can become infected with it again.

Staphylococcus aureus is especially dangerous for infants in the maternity hospital. It is in hospitals that the concentration of this microbe in the environment is high, which is of no small importance due to violation of the rules of asepsis and sterilization of instruments and carriage of staphylococcus among medical workers. personnel.

Causes

There is no doubt that the cause of staphylococcal infection is, as a rule, Staphylococcus aureus. Infection occurs when immunity decreases, which is facilitated by a number of factors:

  • taking antibiotics and hormonal drugs;
  • stress;
  • poor nutrition;
  • hypo- and vitamin deficiencies;
  • infections;
  • intestinal dysbiosis;
  • failure to comply with personal hygiene rules;
  • prematurity;
  • immaturity of the child at birth;
  • artificial feeding;
  • late breastfeeding.

Photo: Staphylococcus aureus under a microscope

Types of staphylococcal infection

There are generalized and local forms of staphylococcal infection.

Generalized forms include sepsis (septicopyemia and septicocemia).

Local forms include diseases of the skin, mucous membranes, internal organs, bones, joints, mammary glands and umbilical cord. Also, food poisoning with staphylococcus endotoxin should be highlighted in a separate column.

In addition, staphylococcal infection can be primary and secondary (if there is a primary focus). According to the course, acute, protracted and chronic forms are distinguished, and according to the severity of staphylococcal infection, mild, moderate and severe.

Symptoms depending on the affected organ

Symptoms of staphylococcal infection depend on the location of staphylococcus in the child’s body and the degree to which the body’s defenses are reduced. The main signs of staphylococcal infection include

  • increase in body temperature
  • severe intoxication syndrome (lethargy, weakness, lack of appetite, nausea).

Microbial infection of the umbilical wound, which is accompanied by swelling of the umbilical ring, purulent discharge from the wound. When the umbilical vein is involved in the process, a compacted and thickened vein is palpated. There is also hyperemia that spreads upward, towards the sternum.

Skin damage

  • With pseudofurunculosis (damage to the sweat glands, not the sebaceous glands), dense, red nodules appear in the skin folds (accumulation of sweat glands), which then fester.
  • Vesiculopustulosis is characterized by the formation of bubbles with liquid contents, which spontaneously open and a crust forms in their place.
  • Exfoliative dermatitis (Ritter's disease), or “scalded skin syndrome,” is characterized by the formation of large blisters that look like burns, then the skin peels off and unprotected wounds form.
  • An abscess is a lesion of the deep layers of the skin with visible redness and thickening. A cavity containing pus is formed.
  • Panaritium is a lesion of the extreme phalanx of the finger.
  • Phlegmon - in addition to the skin, the process involves subcutaneous tissue, which suppurates.

When the mucous membrane of the eyes is damaged, conjunctivitis develops (photophobia, lacrimation, swelling of the eyelids, purulent discharge from the eyes).

Respiratory tract damage

Rhinitis – redness of the mucous membrane with copious purulent discharge from the nose. When infection penetrates below, a sore throat develops, characterized by a sore throat, pharyngitis, tracheitis with a dry and painful cough.

Infection of the bronchi and lungs leads to bronchitis and pneumonia. As a rule, bronchitis and pneumonia occur in combination with pharyngitis, rhinitis, and tracheitis.

There is a significant increase in temperature (up to 39-40°C), dry cough, shortness of breath.

Airway stenosis may develop.

Damage to the central nervous system

Penetration of Staphylococcus aureus into the brain leads to the development of meningitis and brain abscess. Diseases in children are severe, with high fever and symptoms of intoxication.

Characterized by “cerebral” vomiting, headaches, positive meningeal symptoms, episyndrome and skin rash. During a spinal puncture, fluid flows out under pressure and has a greenish tint mixed with pus.

Urinary tract lesions

Urethritis, cystitis, and pyelonephritis develop. Characteristic symptoms: frequent and painful urination, pain in the lumbar region, high temperature. Urine tests determine protein, a large number of leukocytes, and inoculate Staphylococcus aureus.

Damage to bones and joints

When bones and joints become infected, arthritis and osteomyelitis develop.

It develops when eating contaminated or spoiled food and occurs with symptoms of acute enterocolitis. Characterized by fever, nausea, vomiting up to 10 or more times a day, loose stools mixed with greens.

Blood poisoning, or sepsis, occurs with severe immunodeficiency. The course of the disease is severe, with a very high temperature, severe symptoms of intoxication, and impaired consciousness (from excitement to lethargy).

With the development of infectious-toxic shock, blood pressure drops sharply, the patient loses consciousness and may fall into a coma.

Septicopyemia is the circulation of Staphylococcus aureus in the blood with the formation of purulent foci, both on the child’s skin and in the internal organs.

Septicemia is characterized by the development of infectious toxicosis. Septicemia can be complicated by the addition of pneumonia, the development of disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome, etc.

Diagnostics

Differential diagnosis of staphylococcal infection should be carried out with streptococcal infection. In the diagnosis of diseases of staphylococcal etiology, the following serological methods are used, which are characterized by speed and high accuracy:

  • A standard coagulase test in a test tube, which lasts 4 hours, but if the result is negative, it is extended for a day.
  • Latex agglutination, which uses commercial kits of latex particles associated with antibodies to staphylococcus (A-protein, clumping factor and a number of surface antigens), which makes it also useful for species and strain identification of the pathogen
  • General blood and urine tests (leukocytosis, neutrophilia, increased ESR are detected in the blood, and protein, leukocytes, staphylococci in the urine).
  • Sowing biological material on nutrient media.

Sowing on nutrient media is carried out to identify the causative agent of the disease and determine its sensitivity and resistance to antibiotics.

Stool culture should be done no later than 3 hours after defecation; swabs from the mucous membranes of the mouth and nasopharynx should be taken on an empty stomach, before brushing your teeth and before taking medications.

A smear for staphylococcal conjunctivitis is taken from the lower eyelid with a sterile swab soaked in distilled water before washing.

For skin diseases, smears are taken after pre-treating the skin around the wound with an antiseptic solution and removing necrotic areas (crusts) from the wound.

Allows you to determine the dynamics of the disease and the effectiveness of treatment. It is carried out 2 or more times with breaks of 7-10 days. An increase in antibody titer in the blood of more than 1:100 indicates the progression of the infection.

  • Phagotyping of isolated staphylococci

Allows you to determine the sensitivity of a microbe to phage viruses in order to prescribe appropriate treatment.

Treatment

For mild forms of staphylococcal infection, antibiotics are not required.

For moderate and severe forms, semisynthetic penicillins (amoxiclav), which are effective if the microorganism is resistant to penicillins, and cephalosporins (kefzol, ceftriaxone) are prescribed.

The duration of treatment depends on the severity of the disease and infection of the skin or internal organs (from 7 days to several months).

For purulent-inflammatory skin diseases (furunculosis, carbuncle, impetigo), local treatment is prescribed - mupirocin or pleuromutilin derivatives. In their absence, wounds can be treated with antiseptic solutions: brilliant green, hydrogen peroxide, potassium permanganate and antibacterial ointments (synthomycin, oleandomycin ointments, Bactroban).

For conjunctivitis, wash the eyes daily with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and instill a 30% solution of albucid 4-5 times a day.

For purulent skin lesions (abscesses, cellulitis), surgical opening of the abscesses is performed to drain the pus.

In addition, the administration of antistaphylococcal bacteriophage, antistaphylococcal plasma and immunoglobulin is indicated (for sepsis and severe diseases).

For staphylococcal foodborne toxic infection, antibiotics are not prescribed; antistaphylococcal toxoid is used. Gastric lavage is carried out and the volume of circulating blood is replenished with intravenous infusions of saline solutions (saline solution, glucose solution, rehydron and others).

To prevent intestinal dysbiosis, it is recommended to use antifungal drugs (Diflucan, nystatin) in parallel with antibiotics.

At the same time, immunocorrective therapy is prescribed (vitamins B, C, levamisole, Tactivin and others).

A pediatric infectious disease specialist treats staphylococcal infections in children.

Treatment methods are selected depending on the damage to certain organs. The child is hospitalized in a separate ward-box, where bed and underwear are changed daily and the patient showers daily.

Complications and prognosis

Staphylococcus aureus is especially dangerous for infants. Possible complications:

The prognosis depends on the severity of the disease and the effectiveness of treatment.

With mild lesions of the skin and mucous membranes, the prognosis is favorable. Massive infection with Staphylococcus aureus, especially with the development of sepsis, is fatal in 50%.

Diagnosis by symptoms

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Source: http://www.diagnos.ru/diseases/infec/stafilokokk-gold

Staphylococcus aureus - what is it, symptoms, how is it transmitted among adults, treatment

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a gram-positive bacterium with a spherical or oval shape. Belongs to facultative anaerobes. This is the most pathogenic type of staphylococcus for humans.

What kind of disease this is, what causes and routes of transmission, as well as what signs a person encounters when an infection enters the blood, we will consider further in the article.

What is Staphylococcus aureus?

Staphylococcus aureus is a gram-positive spherical bacterium that causes a wide range of different diseases: from mild acne to severe staphylococcal sepsis. Almost 20% of the population are its carriers, parasitizing the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract or skin.

Staphylococcus aureus gets its name from the golden glow it produces when sown on a nutrient medium. Translated from the Greek slaphyle - “bunch” and coccus - “spherical”, staphylococcus under a microscope resembles a bunch of grapes.

The pathogenic microorganism is active in the body of both children and adults. But if the body’s immune system works stably, then normal microflora suppresses the activity of these bacteria. If the body's reactivity weakens, the microbe becomes more active and provokes the progression of pathologies.

Features of Staphylococcus aureus:

  • the bacterium is resistant to various antiseptics, and also does not die for a long time when boiled, frozen, dried, etc.;
  • do not form a dispute.
  • Bacteria are very picky about environmental conditions. The optimal air temperature for their active development is C, the acid-base balance should be neutral.

Causes

The human immune system prevents staphylococcus from displaying its pathogenic properties. In a healthy body, it is able to withstand the onslaught of all pathogenicity factors of a given bacterium (enzymes, hemolysins, toxins, etc.). If local and general immune defense weakens, a staphylococcal infection develops.

Infection with Staphylococcus aureus occurs when immunity decreases, which is facilitated by a number of factors:

  • taking antibiotics and hormonal drugs;
  • stress;
  • poor nutrition;
  • hypo- and vitamin deficiencies;
  • infections;
  • intestinal dysbiosis;
  • failure to comply with personal hygiene rules;
  • prematurity;
  • immaturity of the child at birth;
  • artificial feeding;
  • late breastfeeding.

By the way, strains of resistant, the most dangerous and terrible staphylococcus, insensitive to most known antibiotics, are called MRSA (from the English Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus - methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). Only people with a low immune response are likely to “catch” such an instance:

  • patients with HIV (AIDS), cancer, severe asthma, diabetes;
  • old people;
  • patients after organ transplantation;
  • patients taking corticosteroids for a long time, and others.

How is Staphylococcus aureus transmitted?

  1. Staphylococcus aureus is most often spread through contaminated hands.
  2. Healthy skin and mucous membranes are an effective barrier against infection. However, if these barriers are broken (skin damage due to trauma or mucosal damage due to viral infection), infection is allowed to enter the underlying tissues and bloodstream, causing disease.
  3. People who are immunocompromised or have invasive medical devices are particularly vulnerable.

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.

One of the negative features of Staphylococcus aureus is its resistance to treatment with many antibiotics, including penicillin. For this reason, it causes serious outbreaks of nosocomial infections.

Symptoms of Staphylococcus aureus

Specific clinical manifestations of staphylococcal infection depend on the site of introduction of the microorganism and the degree of decreased immunity in the patient. For example, in some people infection ends with a simple boil, and in weakened patients - with an abscess and phlegmon, etc.

General symptoms characteristic of Staphylococcus aureus in adults:

  • fast fatiguability;
  • general weakness;
  • lack of appetite;
  • aches in bones and joints;
  • nausea and vomiting;
  • increase in body temperature.

These are common signs of infection by harmful bacteria. Depending on the strength of the immune system and the resistance of the body’s systems, this list may be supplemented by other symptoms that more specifically indicate the type of disease.

Skin damage

Skin infections are characterized by rashes on the skin, the appearance of blisters with purulent contents, crusts, redness, and induration.

Infections of ENT organs and eyes

Getting on the mucous epithelium of the throat or nose, staphylococcal infection provokes the occurrence of sore throat, otitis media, sinusitis and other inflammatory pathologies of the ENT organs or upper respiratory tract.

When Staphylococcus aureus infects the lungs, staphylococcal pneumonia develops, characterized by the appearance of shortness of breath and chest pain, severe intoxication of the body and the formation of many purulent formations in the lung tissues, gradually transforming into abscesses. When abscesses break into the pleural cavity, suppuration of the pleura (empyema) develops.

When the mucous membrane of the eyes is damaged, conjunctivitis develops (photophobia, lacrimation, swelling of the eyelids, purulent discharge from the eyes).

CNS damage

If Staphylococcus aureus enters the brain, there is a high probability of developing meningitis or a brain abscess. In children, these pathologies are extremely severe and cases of death are not uncommon. Characteristic symptoms:

  • intoxication syndrome;
  • hyperthermia;
  • severe vomiting;
  • meningeal symptoms are positive;
  • elements of a rash appear on the skin.

Staphylococcus aureus affects the genitourinary system

Urinary tract infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus is characterized by:

  • urination disorder (frequency, pain),
  • slight fever (sometimes there may be no fever),
  • the presence of pus, blood admixtures and the detection of Staphylococcus aureus during general and bacteriological examination of urine.

Without treatment, staphylococcus can infect surrounding tissues (prostate gland, perinephric tissue) and cause pyelonephritis or form kidney abscesses.

Damage to the musculoskeletal system

This pathogen is the leading cause of purulent lesions of the musculoskeletal system (osteomyelitis and arthritis). Such pathological conditions develop more often in adolescents. In adults, staphylococcal arthritis often develops against the background of existing rheumatism or after joint replacement.

Food poisoning

It develops when eating contaminated or spoiled food and occurs with symptoms of acute enterocolitis. Characterized by fever, nausea, vomiting up to 10 or more times a day, loose stools mixed with greens.

Staphylococcus aureus is a dangerous type of bacteria that causes many infections when the patient’s immune system is weakened. If you notice the first general symptoms (lethargy, nausea, lack of appetite), you should immediately consult a doctor.

Diagnostics

If signs of inflammation appear in any organ, you should contact the appropriate specialist. If it is difficult to determine on your own what is affected in the body, consult a therapist or pediatrician. After diagnosis, the patient can be referred to a specialized specialist:

  • surgeon (for abscesses of internal organs),
  • dermatologist (for skin lesions),
  • cardiologist, pulmonologist, traumatologist, rheumatologist, ophthalmologist, neurologist, dentist.

The standard diagnostic plan includes the following methods:

  • latex agglutination;
  • standard coagulase test in vitro;
  • clinical and biochemical blood test;
  • sowing of biological material;
  • swab from the eyelid for suspected conjunctivitis;
  • Widal agglutination reaction.

Depending on the type and location of the staphylococcal infection, the following are used as biological material:

  • discharge of mucous membranes (most often in the nasopharynx);
  • sputum;
  • wound contents (pus and inflammatory exudate);
  • blood (for sepsis);
  • urine;
  • feces;
  • bile;
  • cerebrospinal fluid

On nutrient media, Staphylococcus aureus forms smooth, convex, cloudy colonies with a diameter of about 4–5 mm. Such colonies are colored in various shades of yellow, which gives rise to the name of the pathogen.

Treatment of Staphylococcus aureus

The main point in the treatment of staphylococcal infection is antibacterial therapy with drugs to which the pathogen is sensitive. Staphylococcus aureus is one of the few microorganisms that have a high ability to develop resistance to antibiotics.

Microorganisms that “live” in medical institutions are especially dangerous. Over the course of their lives, they have encountered a lot of medications and disinfectants, so it is very difficult for doctors to choose a truly effective treatment for hospital-acquired staphylococcal infections.

Taking antibiotics

Staphylococcus aureus is characterized by increased resistance to many antibacterial drugs. For this reason, antibiotics that are active against this microorganism are used only in the treatment of complicated, life-threatening forms of the disease.

This approach to therapy avoids the development of resistance of certain strains of Staphylococcus aureus to the antibacterial agents used.

Severe staphylococcal infections require the prescription of parenteral (injection) antibiotics, of which preference is given to:

  • protected penicillins (Nafcillin, Ampicillin + Sulbactam);
  • first or second generation cephalosporins (Cephalexin, Cefuroxime, Cefazolin) in combination with Clindamycin.

Vancomycin is reserved for resistant strains of MRSA; it is also prescribed if the infection is life-threatening.

Immunostimulation

  1. Autohemotransfusion is the intramuscular injection of a patient’s own venous blood. This procedure is widely used to treat furunculosis.
  2. Subcutaneous or intramuscular administration of antistaphylococcal antitoxic serum or intravenous administration of antistaphylococcal plasma.
  3. Herbal immunostimulants - Schisandra, Echinacea, Eleutherococcus, Ginseng, Chitosan. These drugs normalize energy and basal metabolism, have an adaptogenic effect - help cope with stress and stress.
  4. For patients with severe signs of immune dysfunction, synthetic immunomodulators are indicated - “Polyoxidonium”, “Ismigen”, “Timogen”, “Amiksin”.

The prognosis depends on the localization of the pathological focus of staphylococcal infection, the severity of the disease and the effectiveness of treatment.

With mild lesions of the skin and mucous membranes, the prognosis is almost always favorable. With the development of bacteremia with damage to internal organs, the prognosis sharply worsens, since in more than half of the cases such conditions result in death.

Prevention

Basic personal prevention measures:

  • personal hygiene (clean hands, wet cleaning at least 2 times a week, properly prepared food);
  • timely treatment of infectious diseases - dental caries, boils, sore throats, inflammation of the adenoids and tonsils, urethritis and others;
  • avoiding crowded places during the peak of respiratory diseases;
  • refusal to consume dairy, meat and confectionery products stored improperly, especially in hot weather;
  • immediate treatment of skin wounds with antiseptics, applying a bandage or plaster to them;
  • refusal to visit beauty salons and dental clinics, which do not pay due attention to the disinfection of medical instruments.

If you experience any skin rashes or feel unwell, be sure to consult a specialist. Staphylococcus aureus has serious consequences for the body and to avoid them, you need competent treatment prescribed by a doctor.

Discussion: 3 comments

An incredibly pressing problem and the cause of many emerging pathologies, both primary and secondary... the respiratory system suffers especially... the nasopharynx... and as a result, intoxication of all other systems and organs in the body... the kidneys, the heart, the central nervous system, the joints, the tendons of the muscles are especially vulnerable... they are also susceptible to the action of tissue pathogens of mesenchymal origin having a biochemical affinity for the toxin secreted by cocus…. the problem is the incredible resistance of staphylococcus and the highly adaptive degree of its activity... which often allows it to recur again and be present in the body for years, turning into a complex chronic form, the ability to manifest after treatment, thereby causing enormous harm to the immune system and the condition as a whole..... main factors : thoughtless, unskilled and frequent use of antibiotics, failure to make an initially correct diagnosis, or incorrectly prescribed or administered treatment,... prolonged environmental or psycho-emotional stress...

And yet...)) in the paragraph of the article PREVENTION, only the first two points are effective....! the rest are unrealistic due to the impossibility of execution, because they are tied to laboratory tests in each specific case.... How do you imagine taking a comb from a beauty salon for analysis, or taking meat from a bazaar or market...? funny...!)) even funnier is that you have to constantly take risks... which once again proves the low quality of the state of affairs of the sanitary and epidemiological inspection and the situation as a whole...

Naturally, there is no 100% guarantee, but you can still protect yourself at least a little.

1. Here is an example with milk: in hot weather I will not buy milk from women at the market, it is better for me to go to the store and buy it there. But even if I buy it at the market, I will definitely boil it before using it; heat treatment kills staphylococcus.

2. As for beauty salons, here you can also protect yourself at least a little: before you get a haircut or manicure, look at the master’s work table: is it clean or dirty (appearance also plays an important role, if a person is dirty, then with most likely, he will not process the instruments), do they have special ultraviolet lamps, where is the equipment stored, does the master process the instruments (for example, I ask that combs and scissors be treated with AHD 2000).

Of course, this does not give you a 100% guarantee that you will not get infected, but it slightly reduces the risk of infection.

The problem of many beauty salons is that the masters themselves, in most cases, are negligent and do not follow basic disinfection methods, because... they just don’t know anything about it and don’t want to know, and if they do know, they are sure that all these are trifles and it is impossible to get infected from them. And this is fraught not only with Staphylococcus aureus, but also with hepatitis, HIV, etc.

ps The ideal option is to go to a beauty salon with your own tools or call a professional to your home to do a haircut or manicure - but not everyone can afford this.

3. In dental offices, of course, on the one hand, things are better with disinfection, but on the other hand, no one has canceled the human factor and the dentist’s attitude towards the client.

For example: a couple of years ago I had my teeth done, so the doctor answered calls on his phone while working and then got back into my mouth. A normal doctor should wash his hands with a special product or change gloves after such a procedure. I immediately pulled him back and said, change your gloves, and he tells me my phone is clean... WHAT? Of course he changed his gloves, but I didn’t go to him again

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Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus is a common causative agent of human purulent-inflammatory diseases. Almost every one of us knows what Staphylococcus aureus is.

GENERAL INFORMATION

There are more than 27 species of staphylococci in nature. Most of them are absolutely harmless to humans. A separate “sad” niche in this variety of staphylococcal bacteria is occupied by Staphylococcus aureus as one of the common causes of purulent-septic lesions of the human body at any age.

Facts about Staphylococcus aureus:

  • Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a gram-positive bacterium with a spherical or oval shape. Belongs to facultative anaerobes.
  • This is the most pathogenic type of staphylococcus for humans.
  • It is very resistant to adverse environmental influences, but does not form spores as a result of a defensive reaction to such influences.
  • It tolerates drying, heating up to 150 degrees, exposure to ethyl alcohol and hydrogen peroxide.

ROUTES OF INFECTION

The source of staphylococcal infection can be a sick person or a bacteria carrier.

Risk factors for staphylococcal infection:

  • Any damage to the skin and mucous membranes - cracks, abrasions, punctures, etc.
  • Failure to comply with basic rules of personal hygiene.
  • Primary or secondary immunodeficiency, such as AIDS.
  • Prematurity.
  • Long-term use of antibacterial, hormonal or immunosuppressive drugs.
  • Adverse environmental factors.
  • Chronic somatic pathology, for example, diabetes mellitus, thyroid diseases, etc.
  • Acute and chronic infectious diseases of any localization, as well as other pathological conditions.

SYMPTOMS

Manifestations of infection with Staphylococcus aureus depend on the location of introduction and aggressiveness of the pathogen, as well as the state of the patient’s immune system.

Staphylococcus aureus is capable of infecting almost all tissues of the body - from the skin to the peritoneum and internal organs. It can also cause general blood poisoning.

The most common diseases caused by S. aureus are:

  • Various pustular skin lesions - pyoderma. Based on the depth of the inflammatory lesion, folliculitis, boils, carbuncles, abscesses and phlegmon are distinguished.
  • Purulent mastitis in nursing women.
  • Lesions of the upper respiratory tract - rhinitis, sinusitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, etc. The main sign of Staphylococcus aureus in these cases is the presence of purulent discharge from the nasopharynx.
  • Bronchitis, pneumonia and pleurisy. Staphylococcal pneumonia is particularly severe. Intoxication symptoms and chest pain are pronounced, since the pleura is often involved in the pathological process. Characteristic is the formation of purulent foci (abscesses) in the lung tissue, which can break into the pleural cavity - empyema.
  • This pathogen is the leading cause of purulent lesions of the musculoskeletal system (osteomyelitis and arthritis). Such pathological conditions develop more often in adolescents. In adults, staphylococcal arthritis often develops against the background of existing rheumatism or after joint replacement.
  • Damage to the inner lining of the heart is endocarditis. Occurs in approximately every tenth patient with bacteremia. In this case, heart valves are destroyed in a short time, causing severe complications and a high incidence of deaths.
  • The toxins that Staphylococcus aureus produces sometimes cause severe intoxication in the human body - food poisoning, TSS and some others.
  • The first symptoms of Staphylococcus aureus infection in food poisoning usually appear several hours after eating contaminated food. Nausea, vomiting, cramping abdominal pain, and watery stools appear. Usually these symptoms disappear on their own within 24 hours.

DIAGNOSTICS

In most cases, it is impossible to reliably say that this is Staphylococcus aureus only on the basis of clinical manifestations, since the symptoms of such an infection are nonspecific.

An accurate diagnosis can be established by bacteriological culture of discharge from pathological foci followed by microscopic examination. At the same time, the sensitivity of the microbe to the effects of antibacterial agents is determined.

On nutrient media, Staphylococcus aureus forms smooth, convex, cloudy colonies with a diameter of about 4–5 mm. Such colonies are colored in various shades of yellow, which gives rise to the name of the pathogen.

TREATMENT

Staphylococcus aureus is treated comprehensively.

Principles of treatment of Staphylococcus aureus:

  • Suppression of microbial growth. Various antibacterial drugs and staphylococcal bacteriophages are used.
  • Antibacterial agents form the basis of treatment. It is highly advisable, if possible, to use those antibiotics to which the identified type of Staphylococcus aureus is sensitive.
  • The most commonly used drugs are the penicillin group (semi-synthetic, combined with clavulanic acid, etc.). Aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, macrolides, tetracyclines, etc. are also widely used.
  • Local treatment with antibacterial drugs in the form of ointments, creams, lotions, etc. is also required. Typically, such procedures are prescribed after surgical sanitation of foci of infection and evacuation of purulent contents.
  • Correction of disorders of the immune status is carried out by prescribing immunomodulators, antioxidants, vitamin complexes, etc.
  • For specific immunotherapy, antistaphylococcal immunoglobulins and plasma are used.
  • It is imperative to carry out full treatment of concomitant pathology, which reduces the body’s reactivity.

Curing Staphylococcus aureus is a very difficult task. This microbe very quickly develops resistance (resistance) to many antibacterial agents. This is also due to the uncontrolled use of antibiotics in cases where they are not necessary.

It is important to remember that antibacterial treatment of staphylococcal infection should be carried out only in the presence of its manifestations. A “positive” test for Staphylococcus aureus in an apparently healthy person is not a reason to prescribe antibiotics.

COMPLICATIONS

The main complication of Staphylococcus aureus is the formation of purulent foci of various locations. The entry of the pathogen into the systemic bloodstream is fraught with the development of severe conditions that seriously threaten health and even life (sepsis, endocarditis, meningitis, etc.).

For example, when pustular formations are localized on the skin of the face, Staphylococcus aureus can be carried through the bloodstream into the meninges and brain, forming meningitis or a brain abscess.

PREVENTION

The basis for preventing the occurrence of staphylococcal infection is to increase nonspecific immunity. It is necessary to lead a healthy lifestyle, observe personal hygiene rules, eat right and give up bad habits.

It is important to diagnose and treat all somatic and infectious pathologies in a timely manner.

PROGNOSIS FOR RECOVERY

The prognosis depends on the localization of the pathological focus of staphylococcal infection, the severity of the disease and the effectiveness of treatment.

With mild lesions of the skin and mucous membranes, the prognosis is almost always favorable. With the development of bacteremia with damage to internal organs, the prognosis sharply worsens, since in more than half of the cases such conditions result in death.

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Tuberculosis is a general infectious disease with a chronic course and characteristic features: the presence of specific granulomatous tissue changes in various organs.

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