Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an insidious microbe that can coexist peacefully with a person, not betraying itself for the time being. But as soon as he gets a chance, he begins to show aggression, becoming the cause of the disease.
Material Content:
- 1 Pseudomonas aeruginosa - what is it?
- 2 How is Pseudomonas aeruginosa transmitted?
- 3 Symptoms of Pseudomonas infection of various organs
- 4 What diseases does the infection cause?
- 5 Diagnostic methods, how to identify?
- 6 Pseudomonas infection in children
- 7 Pseudomonas aeruginosa treatment
- 8 Complications and consequences of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- 9 Preventive action
Pseudomonas aeruginosa - what is it?
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a bacterium that, under certain circumstances, causes an infectious disease. It is not definitely pathogenic, i.e. may be present in an absolutely healthy person.
It is found in about 3-5% of people on the surface of the skin and in the skin folds, where it is part of the normal microflora. The bacillus may be present in the intestines of a person, animal or bird.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is widespread in the environment. In the highest concentration, it is found in untreated effluents. In water, the stick can remain inactive for up to a year, but for growth and development it needs an organic nutrient medium.
The entry gates for infection are damaged tissues and mucous membranes. However, the main factors in the development of the disease are not the presence of the bacterium itself, but high seeding and a weak immune response.The bacillus never infects healthy tissues, but at the same time, with an injury and a sharp decrease in defenses, it can attack any organ.
After colonization, the microbe begins to secrete substances that poison the body. In the process of life, the bacterium forms enzymes that are released into the surrounding intercellular space. Enzymes and toxins decompose red blood cells, white blood cells and liver cells, affect blood vessels. The microorganism has a pronounced ability to destroy proteins and practically does not affect sugar.
The wand is a danger at any stage of life. Toxins are released even at the time of microbial cell death.
The localization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa depends on the pathway of pathogen penetration into the body. First of all, the tissues directly surrounding the focus of infection are affected.
The main danger of infection lies in the high resistance of the stick to many antibacterial agents. Not all disinfecting substances act on it, so it often becomes the cause of the development of hospital infections.
Simple sanitary measures may not be enough to suppress the microbe. The bacterium is found in washes even after a full sanitary treatment of the hospital premises, medical equipment, all means and materials.
How is Pseudomonas aeruginosa transmitted?
Infants and the elderly are most susceptible to infection. Most often, persons suffering from a deficiency of immunity, as well as being treated in a hospital for longer than seven days, are infected.
The source of infection may be:
- person;
- an animal or birds in the intestines of which a bacterium lives;
- contaminated water.
There are several transmission options:
- contact household;
- airborne droplet;
- through food.
How is the wand transmitted by contact-household means? From a person who has an infection, who has open wounds, you can get infected through household items, for example, using common towels, razors, toothbrushes. Infection can persist on door handles, toilet rims, washbasin edges, water taps.
In addition, a person himself can become a source of illness for himself. The colon that lives in the intestine is activated in patients with immunodeficiency. A sharp decrease in protective forces and an increase in the influence of bacteria is facilitated by prolonged hormonal or antibacterial therapy, as well as the development of autoimmune diseases.
Very rarely, the cause of the spread of the microbe is medical manipulations using infected equipment: needles, boats, scalpels, droppers. For example, an infection of the urinary tract can be associated with catheterization of the urethra. Damage to the spinal cord occurs as a result of puncture. The microbe penetrates into the internal organs during laparoscopic surgery and biopsy.
Transmission of infection by airborne droplets is possible in the presence of close contact with a patient suffering from a pulmonary disease. In this case, the stick will be contained in the vapors of the exhaled air.
The foodborne infection route is triggered by eating poorly processed poultry or animal meat, in the intestines of which the bacterium was contained. Seeding of carcasses occurs in violation of sanitary standards during the cutting and disposal of the insides of a dead animal or bird.
You can become infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa by drinking water from dubious sources.
Symptoms of Pseudomonas infection of various organs
From the moment of infection, before the first clinical signs appear, it takes from several hours to 5 days. As a rule, the disease develops in the immediate focus of infection. However, it can also spread to neighboring tissues.In this situation, they talk about a combined defeat.
Primary infection occurs at the site of injury, cut, burn, penetration of medical instruments, in the area of the postoperative suture. With a global lesion, the pathogen, along with a blood stream, is able to migrate to distant organs.
Symptoms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa depend on the location of the microbe:
- with damage to the central nervous system: headache, fever, cramps, cramps, nervous disorders;
- with the development of a microbe in the digestive tract: vomiting, loose stool with an admixture of blood and greens, fever, abdominal pains, bloating, colic, ulcerative lesions of the mucosa;
- with damage to the skin: the development of a purulent process, redness of neighboring skin areas, the formation of black-brown scabs, tissue death, the appearance of pustules, a characteristic feature is the staining of bandages and dressings in blue-green; the stick on the nails leaves greenish spots that gradually grow, causing inflammation of neighboring tissues;
- when the infection in the urinary organs is populated: prolonged poorly treatable inflammation of the urinary canal;
- with damage to the respiratory system, all the signs characteristic of any bacterial infections are observed: cough, shortness of breath, separation of sticky green mucus from the nose, redness of the pharynx, enlargement of the tonsils, sore throat;
- after penetration of the stick into the organs of hearing: prolonged pain, discharge from the ear of purulent discharge with impurities of blood.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa most often does not have a specific picture that is characteristic only of it.
As a rule, suspicions begin to creep in when it turns out that antibiotic therapy does not bring results.
What diseases does the infection cause?
The nature of the disease is always the same - it is an acute purulent inflammation.
The name of the disease depends on which organ affects the infection:
- with inflammation of the meninges, meningitis develops;
- hearing organs are affected by purulent otitis media;
- if the stick sticks in the respiratory system, it provokes: frontal sinusitis, rhinitis, sinusitis, pneumonia;
- infection in the eyes causes conjunctivitis, keratitis;
- developing in the digestive tract, the stick provokes appendicitis, cholecystitis; in the absence of the necessary treatment, the disease flows into peritonitis;
- on the soft tissues occurs furunculosis.
Extensive skin lesions after wounds or burns can result in an abscess or gangrene.
Diagnostic methods, how to identify?
Obvious signs indicating the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a characteristic staining of dressings applied to postoperative sutures, burns or wounds. With damage to internal organs, infection is more difficult to suspect.
To identify the causative agent, use the culture method of sowing. Depending on the location of the lesion, smears from the urethra, vagina, mucus from the nose, urine, feces, samples of vomit, cerebrospinal fluid, which are removed from the wound, are taken for analysis.
When the causative agent of pneumonia is detected, Pseudomonas aeruginosa in sputum is also detected by seeding samples on nutrient substrates.
Diagnosis is carried out before treatment with antibiotics. The taken sample is plated on dense organic media. The presence of the pathogen is determined by the characteristic distribution of pigment on the surface of the substrate.
For diagnosis, they also use the method of studying blood samples. They are titrated in order to determine the content of specific antigens. According to a blood test, you can monitor the progress of the disease. An increase in titer after some time indicates an increase in the activity of the microbe.
Pseudomonas infection in children
Children under the age of 2 years are 10 times more susceptible to the disease than adults.The most vulnerable group is considered to be infants of the first months of life, especially those who are very premature or undergoing intrauterine hypoxia.
Most often in children, the umbilical cord and intestines are affected. The disease, as a rule, is acute.
After the cure, the child can remain a carrier of infection for a long time, becoming a source of the disease in children's organized groups.
At a young age, predisposing factors are the presence of open wounds and burns, as well as long-term antibiotic treatment. The disease, as in adults, develops against the background of a strong weakening of the immune system.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa treatment
The most effective is considered complex treatment with the use of antibacterial drugs, means to strengthen the immune system, and symptomatic methods: removal of intoxication, anesthesia, the use of drugs that improve digestion.
Drug therapy
Given that the stick is resistant to many antibacterial drugs, it would be more reasonable to determine its sensitivity in vitro by growing the isolated strain on a nutrient medium. However, practice shows that the results in artificial conditions do not always coincide with the results of applying the same tool in a living organism. Therefore, sowing is not always used to select a drug.
Most often, the choice falls on such antibiotics as: ciprofloxacin, cefepime, ceftazidime. To enhance the effect, a combination of these antibacterial drugs and aminoglycosides is used: amikacin, gentamicin, tobramycin.
Of primary importance is the infusion of the drug intravenously. After receiving positive results, they switch to intramuscular administration. For effective treatment of purulent wounds, oral preparations are combined with surface treatment with antibiotics.
Alternative methods of treatment
Alternative methods are used to enhance overall health, but they in no way cancel drug therapy.
To alleviate the condition, it is recommended to brew herbal tea from leaves of aspen, lingonberry, horsetail, plantain. To prepare a drink, two teaspoons of crushed dry or fresh raw materials are poured with a glass of boiling water and insisted until the tea has cooled. This drink is consumed no more than three times a day instead of regular tea.
For the treatment of skin rashes and open wounds, alternative medicine recommends using a solution of propolis. The beekeeping product is diluted with warm water in a ratio of 1:10. The resulting product treats the edges of the wound and inflamed areas of the skin.
Tea tree oil is considered a good anti-inflammatory and disinfectant. It is taken orally by 1 drop, dissolved in a teaspoon of olive oil. Drink the mixture once a day on an empty stomach, drinking a glass of water.
Features of treatment in children
When treating children, the doctor selects the drug and dosage individually. In infants, antibiotic therapy should be combined with breastfeeding.
Mother’s milk acts as a probiotic: it promotes the colonization of the gastrointestinal tract with the correct microflora, enhances local immunity in intestinal disorders. After recovery, the child should be protected from unnecessary contacts.
Complications and consequences of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Pseudomonas infection is characterized by a prolonged course with the gradual death of the affected tissues.
A progressive disease develops into an abscess, gangrene, or sepsis, increasing the likelihood of death.
Preventive action
The greatest risk of infection is present in a hospital setting.Three factors form here: the weakened state of the patient, penetrating medical interventions, and a high concentration of potential carriers.
Hospital staff undergo regular examinations to prevent the spread of infection. The difficulty of prevention lies in the resistance of bacteria to many disinfectants.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is afraid of boiling, autoclaving, preparations containing chlorine, carbolic acid, peroxide. In order to prevent the spread of germs, medical equipment must undergo appropriate processing.
Pseudomonas infection is dangerous for its ability to disguise itself as other bacterial diseases. To prevent the disease, you need to constantly maintain immunity at a high level. To do this, it is necessary to treat chronic diseases in a timely manner, eat well, avoid stress and regularly visit the fresh air.
