Pustules on the skin, erysipelas, omphalitis, tonsillitis, scarlet fever, yellowish fetid discharge from the genital tract, otitis, periodontitis, caries, pneumonia, inflammation of the umbilical cord, peritonitis … What do you think these diseases have in common? They have a common cause - a microbe called streptococcus.
Where do streptococci live?
Streptococci, which will be discussed in this article, are round-shaped bacteria and are arranged in chains of various lengths. Normally, the mucous membranes of the intestines, human genital organs and skin are inhabited by various microorganisms, including streptococci. Depending on the species, streptococci tend to settle in different parts of the human body: some on the skin, some on the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, some on the mucous membrane of the genital organs or intestines. This property helps in diagnosing the disease and prescribing the right treatment.
Properties of streptococci
In the human pharynx, 30 to 60% of all microbes fall to the share of streptococcus. A he althy body has a strong immune system that keeps the entire microflora under control, preventingexcessive reproduction of any bacteria, and with a decrease in immunity and the appearance of favorable conditions for development, one or another type of microorganism rapidly begins to multiply, suppressing the normal flora and leading to diseases. Streptococcus is one of these microbes. Its reproduction and distribution in the body can lead to serious diseases, including infectious ones. Due to the large number of cells of this pathogen living on the human body, the number of diseases caused by them reaches 10-15% of the total number of diseases in the cold season. The course of the disease and its severity are determined both by the type of streptococcus itself and by the ingress of bacteria and their toxic substances into the bloodstream.
Fortunately, streptococci are unstable in the external environment. For them, sunlight, disinfectants and antibacterial drugs are destructive. Timely treatment of streptococcal infection leads to good results, and neglected, severe forms of the disease can lead to tragedy.
All diseases, one way or another associated with streptococcus, are divided into 2 large groups:
- diseases caused by streptococcus, - diseases provoked by streptococcus.
Let's take a look at some examples of diseases caused by streptococcus.
Angina
Streptococcus infects the tissue of the tonsils, which are located around the pharynx in the form of a ring. If a person hasstrong immunity, then the sore throat proceeds in a mild form without high fever, with a slight coating on the tonsils and a slight soreness when swallowing. If the immune system is weak, then severe necrotic inflammation of the tonsils can develop, accompanied by severe sore throat, especially when swallowing, weakness, very high fever, aching throughout the body and signs of poisoning. This is due to the production of toxic substances by bacteria that cause purulent fusion of tissues. The decay products and toxins of bacteria poison the human body.
The following diseases are the result of untimely or incorrect treatment:
- paratonsillar abscess - acute inflammation of the tissues under the tonsils, - otitis media - inflammation of the middle ear, - rheumatic heart disease - autoimmune heart disease, - articular rheumatism - autoimmune damage to the tissues of the joints, - glomerulonephritis is an inflammatory process in the kidney that affects the main instruments for blood filtration and urine formation - the renal glomeruli, - lymphadenitis - inflammation of the lymph nodes closest to the pharynx, located on the neck.
Treatment of streptococcal infection in the throat is carried out with antibacterial drugs of general and local action. There are features in the treatment of adults and children: the treatment of streptococcal infection in the throat in adults is combined with gargling with solutions of medicines, decoctions and herbal infusions, and young children who do not yet know how to gargle are deprived of this component of treatment. Suitable for kidsonly irrigation of the tonsils with medicinal aerosols. When treating a strep throat infection, please note that after rinsing and/or using an aerosol, it is not recommended to eat or drink for at least one hour so that the medicine does not wash off and act as long as possible.
Caries
Everyone knows the disease. Didn't expect that streptococcus also causes it? These bacteria in the mouth feed on the remnants of food stuck in the interdental spaces. Reproducing there, in the course of their life, microbes secrete lactic acid. It gradually dissolves hard enamel, which is based on calcium. The tooth loses its strength and begins to break down.
Complications are few but unpleasant:
- pulpitis - inflammation of the base, the core of the tooth, in which the vessels and nerves pass, - loss of a tooth associated with its destruction.
There is another disease of the oral cavity - periodontal disease, which also causes streptococcal infection. Treatment is also necessary, otherwise the troubles associated with inflammation, bleeding gums and loss of teeth cannot be avoided.
Streptoderma
This is a streptococcal skin lesion. Infection occurs due to the penetration of the pathogen through minor injuries, cracks, abrasions, cuts. In the lesion, a pink spot appears with uneven edges, up to 30-40 cm in diameter. Depending on the depth of the lesion, the disease is divided into 2 types:
- streptococcal impetigo, which is characterized by the rapid appearance onthe surface of the skin of small purulent vesicles, which, opening up, quickly dry up and disappear without a trace, - ecthyma vulgaris is a deep skin lesion. After opening the same bubbles, scars form on the skin, general well-being suffers and body temperature rises to 38 degrees.
This is how a small microbe leads to a dramatic change in the quality of human life. A small injury develops a streptococcal skin infection that requires some effort to treat.
Treatment of streptococcal soft tissue infections combines general and local methods. A bandage with an antiseptic solution is applied to the affected area.
Streptococci cause pustules and are smaller than those described above. There are men who like to pull hairs out of their noses instead of cutting them off. So, in place of damaged hair follicles, very painful inflamed areas are formed. Most often they pass without suppuration, but if left untreated, purulent vesicles appear. Early treatment of a streptococcal infection in the nose is reduced to applying an antiseptic solution, a bactericidal ointment to the affected area of the nose.
Inflammation of the genital tract
In 10-30% of he althy women, streptococcus is sown from the mucous membrane of the genital organs. Normally, it does not detect itself in any way, because it is under the control of the immune system. With a decrease in immunity, as well as in cases of infection with streptococcus sexually, women experience burning, itching, pain when urinating, yellowish purulent discharge, pain in the lower partabdomen and slight fever.
In the absence of examination and adequate treatment, the situation is aggravated, complications arise in the form of:
- erosion of the cervix, when the epithelium from the uterine cavity appears on her cervix, - endometritis - inflammation of the endometrium, the inner layer of the uterus, - polyps, when the epithelium lining them grows excessively on the internal genital organs.
Diagnosis of the disease is carried out at the reception, to clarify the diagnosis, the method of sowing with the determination of sensitivity to antibiotics is used.
Treatment of streptococcal infection in gynecology is a fairly common occurrence due to the wide distribution of this microbe. A small crack, a small wound is enough for him to immediately penetrate not only into the skin or mucous membrane, but also much deeper. There are quite a few situations in which the gates of this infection open: each menstruation, childbirth exposes the uterus from the inside, which becomes a huge wound surface, not to mention damage to the cervix, vagina and perineum. Even sexual intercourse can be accompanied by damage to the mucous membrane and skin.
Diseases caused by streptococcus
These include rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic vasculitis and glomerulonephritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Occurs due to the formation of immune complexes. In this case, they are deposited in the joint cavity, damage the cartilage and do not fullyperform their functions. Inflamed joint cells secrete enzymes that further melt the cartilage, which ultimately leads to its complete destruction. The pathological process mainly involves small joints of the hands, fingers and toes. The patient feels stiffness in the movements of the affected joints, especially in the morning.
Complications include accumulation of pus in the cavity of the affected joint and kidney failure.
Streptococcal infections in babies
From the very first days of life, the little man is susceptible to streptococcal infection. Infection can occur in utero through the mother's blood, when passing through the birth canal infected with this microorganism, as well as in the first hours and days of extrauterine life from patients or carriers. The infant's immature immune system is unable to resist germs.
There are several serious diseases in which the baby suffers greatly and may even die.
Streptoderma and ecthyma vulgaris are skin lesions in a child that leave deep scars on thin, delicate skin. A complication of these diseases can be lymphangitis and lymphadenitis (purulent inflammation of the lymphatic vessels and nodes, respectively).
Sepsis - circulation in large quantities of streptococcus in the blood, with the formation of purulent foci in any organs and tissues. The course of the disease is very severe and even with timely medical intervention, the mortality rate reaches 20%.
Meningitis is a purulent inflammation of hard and softmeninges, which leads to disruption of the functioning of the brain. Mortality is as high as 15%, and persistent long-term effects of brain damage occur in another 40% of children.
Pneumonia is a disease of the main organ responsible for saturating the blood with oxygen and removing carbon dioxide. Streptococcus infects the alveoli of the lungs. They become inflamed, swollen and cease to perform a respiratory function. With timely initiation of treatment, the disease can be cured, but still mortality occurs here, reaching 0.5%.
Necrotic fasciitis is a very serious disease in which connective tissue membranes are affected, in which muscles, neurovascular bundles and internal organs are “dressed”. It manifests itself as a woody compaction of the soft tissues of the baby. With this disease, the mortality rate reaches 25%.
This is how severe a streptococcal infection is in children, which should be treated immediately if strep infection is suspected.
Diagnosis of streptococcal infection
Diagnosis begins at the stage of a sick person's visit to the doctor.
At the appointment, the doctor examines the patient, collects information about complaints, symptoms of the disease and the duration of their appearance, selects the best diagnostic methods and prescribes treatment.
Laboratory and instrumental methods for diagnosing streptococcal infection
Of course, the doctor will order a complete blood and urine test, but they will not be able to help in separating a strep infection from any other, somethods of seeding the microbe on a nutrient medium and determining the sensitivity of the microbe to antibiotics are used.
Depending on the lesion, the discharge of wounds, the contents of abscesses, joints, mucus from the nose, pharynx, vagina, cervical canal and cerebrospinal fluid are taken for examination.
To determine sensitivity to antibiotics, small disks soaked with different antibiotics are placed on a laboratory dish inoculated with microbes, and the results are evaluated after 8-10 hours. By the absence of a growth zone or a small number of microbes around the disk, the most destructive antibiotics for streptococci are determined. This research method takes 2-5 days.
Treatment of strep infection
The most reliable, fast and effective treatment is antibiotics.
Regardless of the localization of the pathological process, they are necessarily included in the treatment regimen.
If at the appointment the doctor decides that the patient who applied for medical help has a streptococcal infection, treatment is prescribed with one of the drugs from the penicillin or cephalosporin series. In some situations, it is difficult to distinguish between the pathogen, since a similar clinic can be caused by staphylococcal and streptococcal infections, treatment in this case is still prescribed with one antibiotic from the two indicated rows.
After antibiotic susceptibility is established, if streptococcal infection continues, antibiotic treatment is adjusted.
There are people who categorically refuse antibiotic treatment andusing only folk remedies. In this case, it is acceptable to use herbs as auxiliary methods of treatment, but not the main ones.
Streptococcal infection is too insidious, treatment with folk remedies without antibiotics leads to life-threatening complications, disability and death.
Treating a streptococcal infection is not that difficult. It is important to seek medical help in time, diagnose and start the right treatment.
