Staphylococcal infection
Staphylococci are spherical bacteria. They can live on the skin and mucous membranes, are often harmless, but can also cause infections in soft tissues and internal organs, and then become life-threatening.
What is a staph infection?
Staphylococcal infections are diseases caused by gram-positive cocci bacteria, of which there are a lot of different ones. Basically, the word “staphylococcus” comes from ancient Greek and is composed of the components “staphylé” for “grape” and “kókkos” for core – and thus describes that the bacteria settle under the microscope like grapes in a heap and are therefore recognizable.
Since staphylococci could be combated so well with penicillin in the past, many pathogens have now become resistant to antibiotics: methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus strains (MRSA) are currently a major threat to medicine, especially in intensive care units, and make staphylococcal infections still appear highly topical today.
Causes
A staphylococcal infection can result from a harmless colonization with the bacteria: The germs live for years on our skin or on inner mucous membranes and can be harmless or even useful there until an injury flushes them into the deeper tissue or a defense weakness of the organism occurs: Then the small bacteria may become “rebellious”, find good growth conditions and multiply rapidly, which can eventually lead to inflammation and serious, life-threatening illnesses.Staphylococci can also occur in the environment, for example in water bodies. Furthermore, they can get on food to humans and cause food poisoning.
There are several subspecies of staphylococci, which play an essential role in the classification of diseases, as they all cause different damage to different organs. Of particular importance for medicine are Staphylococcus aureus, to which the habitat described above best applies, Staphylococcus epidermidis, which colonizes the skin of humans and is feared above all in hospitals as the cause of foreign body infections (e.g. catheters or prostheses), and Staphylococcus saprophyticus as the causative agent of urinary tract infections, especially in sexually active young people (the so-called “honeymoon” cystitis). ).
Diseases
Symptoms and course
Typical symptoms of staphylococcal infection:
If one wants to classify the symptoms of staphylococcal infections, a division into invasive infections, toxicosis (poisoning) and mixed forms is recommended. Invasive infections include above all diseases after the pathogens penetrate the skin and mucous membranes: boils and carbuncles, wound infections, sinus infections and middle ear infections are classic examples. On the skin there is always swelling, redness and overheating (classic signs of inflammation), often a pus cavity forms where the pathogens sit. The boils occur when staphylococci living normally on the skin get into the deeper skin layers through lesions (cuts, scratches in other skin diseases, etc.) and multiply there.
In addition to Staphylococcus aureus, other staphylococci can also cause invasive infections, such as “honeymoon cystitis” caused by Staph. saprophyticus (see above) or the dangerous catheter infection (including sepsis ) by Staph. Epidermidis. Puerperal mastitis is also an example of a staphylococcal infection: This is an inflammation of the breasts in women who are breastfeeding, which is also associated with swelling and pain.
More serious invasive infections with staphylococci are osteomyelitis (inflammation of the bone marrow), endocarditis (especially after heart valve replacement), pneumonia and blood poisoning (sepsis). One sixth of all blood poisoning in patients in hospital is caused by Staphylococcus aureus.
The toxicosis as another large group of staphylococcal infections, on the other hand, is extremely straightforward: contaminated food always transports the toxins of Staphylococcus aureus into the human gastrointestinal tract, where they can cause cramps, nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting after just a few hours and sometimes lead to severe dehydration.
Common “culprits” are cream cakes, pudding or other dairy products that have not been reliably cooled or simply stood outside for too long: The bacteria then multiply very quickly and it comes to the classic “gastrointestinal infection” described above (although in reality it is not an “infection” but only a temporary “poisoning” – the toxins play a role here, not the bacteria themselves!).
The mixed forms include infections of the skin and mucous membranes, from which the bacteria release toxins into the blood and thus cause life-threatening circulatory reactions of the body: The “Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome” with large-scale detachment of the skin is one example, the syndrome of toxic shock after multiplication of staphylococci in tampons another.
Diagnosis
In addition to anamnesis and physical examination, the diagnosis of a staphylococcal infection includes above all the detection of the pathogens: On the skin, this may be achieved by means of a swab, in deeper tissues also with a biopsy, in hollow organs by means of rinsing or examination of excretions. The detection includes both microscopy, in which good statements about the pathogens can already be made by means of staining and characteristic appearance (see above), as well as a culture, i.e. the cultivation of the . The culture can then also be used for resistance testing, in which the microbiologist checks which antibiotics are suitable for therapy and which do not work in the test tube. The toxins can also be detected using immunological methods – but in the case of simple food intoxication, this is usually not necessary.
Treatment and therapy
The treatment of a staphylococcal infection is mainly carried out with the administration of antibiotics: Penicillinase-resistant pencillines are usually suitable for this, for example flucloxacillin. Simple penicillin is resistant to 80 percent of cases.However, even the extended penicillins are not effective against pathogens with multi-resistance or methicillin resistance (MRSA germs) – such strains are unfortunately becoming more and more common, especially in hospitals, and it is not always possible to find a suitable substitute that still works. In addition, surgical measures are possible when it comes to skin or soft tissue infections.
Food poisoning does not have to be specifically treated; antibiotics would only further destroy the intestinal flora and create resistance. The disease is usually over after a day anyway. However, you should make sure that you drink enough – if this is not possible due to vomiting, an intravenous infusion can even be given to prevent dehydration, which is particularly dangerous in small children and old people in the event of severe diarrheal diseases.
Prevention
Prevention against staphylococcal infections primarily includes hygienic measures such as skin cleaning and hand disinfection. Wounds should always be cleaned well and bandaged cleanly so that not too many pathogens can get in. Hygiene is also the key to preventing food poisoning – in addition, food at risk should always be well cooled and never left open for long.
Hello and welcome to my Health Guide & Encyclopedia! My name is Dorothy Farrar, and I'm the founder and main author of this platform.
My passion for health and wellness started at a young age when I became interested in the connection between the food we eat and the way we feel. This fascination led me to study nutrition and dietetics in college, where I learned about the importance of a balanced diet and the impact of various nutrients on the body.