Infections caused by pathogenic staphylococci, belongs to a special group. The fact that staph is opportunistic, almost always living on the human body, a common microbe in nature. Either way, the person contacts the daily.

Staphylococcus aureus can produce inflammation in almost any system and any organ - the skin and subcutaneous tissue, internal organs, the nervous tissue of the brain and heart. Toxins of certain types of Staphylococcus give hospital food poisoning.
 

Forms of staphylococcus

For a person of particular importance in the pathogenesis of diseases are three types of play:

• staphylococcus aureus causing infection in almost any organ of the body in adults and children, on the skin, mucous membranes, and even in the nervous tissue.
• staphylococcus epidermidis, the most dangerous in premature, debilitated children and patients with immunodeficiencies, cancer.
• staphylococcus saprophyticus is of great importance in the urinary tract infection.

Each type of staph has many strains (varieties), differing in the degree of aggressiveness and pathogenicity.

Depending on the strain of certain types of Staphylococcus selectively affect certain organs.
 

Etiology staph infection

The cause of staph infections is a human infection by pathogenic strains of Staphylococcus (eg, nosocomial infection) or getting staph in those organs where it normally should not. Staphylococcus aureus is highly resistant to the external environment, up to six months are stored in the dried, frozen, good lives in the water and food, is not afraid of sunlight.

Staphylococcus aureus is able to secrete exotoxins that affect the skin or the white blood cells (leukocytes), enterotoxins, affecting the digestive system and cause symptoms of poisoning.

Also aureus allocates special substances that suppress the immune mechanisms of the body, which helps the microbes actively reproduce in the body.

The source of infection - a healthy carrier of Staphylococcus (eg, parents of a child), or the patient staphylococcal infection of any shape (streptococcal, pneumonia, suppurative staphylococcal mastitis). Up to 40% of people, anyway, are infected with staphylococcus.

Dangerous is a nosocomial infection with staphylococcus, as these strains are usually aggressive and resistant to antibiotics and is extremely contagious. Infection occurs:

• by contact from person to person through bodily contact and use of common things and hygiene items (such as with postpartum mastitis)
• airborne, especially in relation to nosocomial pneumonia,
• by food (with outbreaks of staphylococcal gastroenteritis)
• through the hands of the staff who are carriers of pathogenic staphylococcus.

Especially important factors in the development of infections include:

• lowered immunity,
• the use of strong medications, immunosuppressants,
• chronic disease,
• thyroid problems,
• stress, environmental influences.

Especially hard staphylococcal infections occur in young children and the elderly.

Immunity staphylococcus unstable, you can recover a lot of time. A specific immunization is not designed for it.

Manifestations aureus

Symptoms will depend on where the staphylococcus will be implemented and multiply further manifestations depend on the strain of Staphylococcus and aggressiveness.

Staphylococcus aureus can infect virtually all systems, tissues and organs, giving the hospital staph local or general diseases. It can affect the skin, subcutaneous tissue, nervous system, kidneys, liver, lungs, urinary system, bone and occur common infecting organism (sepsis).

Skin lesions
Skin lesions - pyoderma, pustular lesions occur in the defeat of the mouth of the hair follicle. Small lesions called folliculitis, deeper lesions with fiber - boils, purulent fusion hair follicles. If it affects the subcutaneous tissue there carbuncles. Most often, they occur on the neck, buttocks and thighs, on his face.

Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome or "scalded" leather - staphylococcal lesion in the newborn with a bright skin redness and peeling its layers.

In pemphigus on the skin produces a voltage large bubbles with serous contents. It arises under the influence of staphylococcal toxins.

Cellulitis and abscess arise from deep-seated tissues, being limited or a widespread purulent lesion tissue. When abscess pus limited capsule, with cellulitis spreads between the tissues, which can lead to dangerous lesions.

Lung injury
Staphylococcal pneumonia etiology is very difficult to proceed, giving a massive lung damage, resistant to therapy and often lead to death.

There is a severe intoxication, chest pain, shortness of breath. The lungs are formed multiple foci of pus to form abscesses.

Brain lesions
With the penetration of Staphylococcus primary foci in the brain are formed abscesses and purulent meningitis.

These complications are severe and life-threatening, poorly to therapy and leave residual (remaining for life) consequences often lead to disability.

Manifested by fever, headaches, vomiting, toxicity, neurological symptoms. Staphylococcal thrombophlebitis of veins of the brain may be a cause of stroke.

Lesions of Bone
Staph can affect bone formation with osteomyelitis, and the collapse all the layers of bones, there are pathological fractures, fistulae and pain in the affected bone may be joint damage with purulent arthritis.

severe staphylococcal mastitis endocarditis are also possible, pyelonephritis, and the heaviest defeat of a staphylococcal sepsis.

Diagnostics

The basis of diagnosis - clinical picture and serological methods, foremost among which are the coagulase test and the latex agglutination.

Standard coagulase test tube lasts 4 hours, but with a negative result is extended for a day.

Latex agglutination test using commercial kits latex particles associated with antibodies to Staphylococcus aureus (A-protein, clumping factor and a number of surface antigens), which makes it also useful to identify specific with strains of the pathogen.

It is important to pathogen inoculation with antibiotic susceptibility determination (methicillin) as staphylococci can be resistant to most conventional therapies.

Additional for diagnostics will be a common blood and urine analysis, biochemical analysis and other research methods, depending on which organs are affected - an x-ray for pneumonia and osteomyelitis, ultrasound with the defeat of the liver and kidneys, etc.

Treatment of Staphylococcus

The mainstay of treatment - the struggle with the agent and deal with the consequences of his life.

For purulent wounds and abscesses mainstay of treatment - surgical opening of abscesses, with further washing with antibiotics and drainage.

Staphylococci are treated using modern new generation of antibiotics due to multidrug-resistant (numbness) in their usual antibiotics.

Applying

• semi-synthetic penicillins and protected (amoksiklav, nafitsillin)
• aminoglycosides (neomycin, kanamycin)
• some other species (vancomycin, clindamycin, ofloxacin).

For Staphylococcus one of the treatments is phage therapy. This special "eaters" staph specific viruses selectively kill staphylococci is, for example, bacteriophage protivostafilokokovy liquid. For external use ointment treatment with antimicrobial components, antiseptics.

When staph infection is extremely important use of immunomodulators and means to strengthen the immune system. Apply anti-staphylococcal immunoglobulins hyperimmune plasma, autohemotherapy, etc. Apply a multivitamin, drinking plenty of fluids and detoxification.

Forecast

Projections at the staph infection is largely dependent on the type and strain of staph, the severity of the injury and focus, the patient's age and stability of microbes to antibiotics.

In nosocomial infection prognosis may be disadvantageous in death due to high resistance to microbial antibiotics and high aggressiveness of the pathogen.

Today staphylococcal infection is a leading cause of septic complications in debilitated, operated patients and infants, especially newborn and premature.