Staphylococcus aureus, how dangerous is this microbe and its resistant form

2024-11-20 08:15:00, Shëndeti CNA

Staphylococcus is a microbe found everywhere in nature and in humans, on our skin and in our noses. It colonizes us", explains Mr. Nikolas B. Sypsas, Professor of the University of Athens, President of the Hellenic Association of Infectious Diseases

Staphylococcus mainly causes skin lesions, such as calluses—deeper inflammations of the hair follicle—but sometimes it passes into the blood and causes staphylococcal bacteremia (or septicemia), "a life-threatening condition that we need to recognize very quickly, in order to give timely intravenous treatment and save the patient", he explains.

That being said, people who inject , e.g. intravenously or intramuscularly, can inject the staphylococcus into the body, and therefore, if found in muscles or bones, cause abscesses, "large abscesses which are drained only surgically." These abscesses are the cause of bacteremia.

According to the professor, after entering the circulation, the staphylococcus can reach anywhere in the body "go to the lungs and cause pneumonia, in the brain a brain abscess, in the heart and cause endocarditis, in the bones cause osteomyelitis". It is a microbe that can attack every organ and system of our body.'

Symptoms and course of infection

Symptoms depend on the location of the infection, namely:

-skin lesions if located on the skin

- local pain and fever if located in muscles and bones

-symptoms of pneumonia (cough, high fever, shortness of breath and chest pain) if found in the lungs

- very high temperature (over 40ºC) or hypothermia if it passes into the blood and if not treated immediately, leads to a drop in blood pressure, dizziness, confusion, etc. "Generally, in the case of sepsis, we have a very high temperature and a very bad general condition. The patient is seriously ill and it looks like it," notes Mr. Sypsas.

Regarding organ failure, Mr. Sypsas explains: "Ultimately, when the patient goes into sepsis, we usually have a cascade of events, irreversible in most cases, if we don't catch it very early. Events lead the patient to stages of circulatory and respiratory failure, in which case he needs mechanical support (intubation).

Risk of antimicrobial resistance

Epidemiological data from the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) show a decrease in MRSA infections. "This also applies in Greece, fortunately, although we have multiresistant microbes and above all gram-negative enterobacteria, the frequency of staphylococcus does not increase, it remains stable and we may even have a slight downward trend. Epidemiologically, we have a stability in relation to MRSA", he comments.

24 to 48 hours for the antibiogram

According to Mr. Sypsa, it takes 24 to 48 hours for the antibiogram to show if it is a resistant strain. Therefore, the doctor should be suspicious if, for example, the patient is diabetic, if he knows that he is colonized by resistant staphylococci or belongs to high-risk or immunosuppressed groups, give the appropriate treatment for MRSA empirically, until the antibiogram comes out.

Since the resistance levels in Greece are very high, the doctor and the patient must understand that something is wrong very early, to start the right treatment, "because we have the right antibiotics", as soon as possible.

Protective measures

-Very good personal hygiene (hand washing, clean clothes, etc.)

-Avoid close contact (hugs, kisses, etc.) with people who have skin lesions or anything else

-Strict cleanliness where there is an increase in crowd (e.g. changing rooms)

- Very good sugar regulation for people with diabetes

-If we belong to high-risk groups, immediate medical attention for any symptoms./ CNA