Group A Streptococci Infection Essay

Relating to the physical environment; If you were in a care setting e.g. Residential home, and the ventilation stopped working, or was not working as it should do. For example if some of the residents had an illness that could be passed on through air, then the probability is that all the residents and also staff would end up with the illness this is an acquired infection.

Some germs that commonly live on the skin and in the nose are called staphylococcus or "staph" bacteria. Usually staph bacteria don't cause any harm. However, sometimes they get inside the body through a break in the skin and cause an infection. These infections are usually treated with antibiotics. When common antibiotics don't kill the staph bacteria, it means the bacteria have become resistant to those antibiotics. This type of staph is called MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus).

Infection is when foreign bodies such as bacteria, fungi and parasites invade your body these germs can cause disease and can even lead to amputation or even death in the host body. An infection may cause no symptoms or it may cause symptoms where you become really symptomatic and be hospitalized.

Staphylococcus aureus is the leading cause of skin and soft tissue infections, it can cause serious infections such as bloodstream infection, pneumonia or bone infections. Though it can cause infections it is part of the normal human flora it is mostly found on the skin or in nasal cavities. It is a facultative anaerobic gram positive cocci, it is usually in pairs or clusters. The bacterium is also catalase positive, oxidase

Risk factors for infection can be anything that suppresses the ability of the host to resist the infectious pathogen, including the following: drugs, such as steroids and chemotherapy; disorders that affect the innate and adaptive immune responses, such as cancer, leukopenia, and HIV/AIDS; and a breakdown of the first line of defense, such a trauma, broken skin, or surgical wounds. Patients are at risk for developing sepsis and septic shock if they are very old or very young and have and inability to fight off the infection. Some other risk factors for the

Infection is the process where germs enter a susceptible area in the body, where they multiply, resulting in disease.

The Staphylococcus aureus bacteria belongs to the Staphylococcaceae family. It is small, round shaped, and non-motile. Staphylococcus aureus stains gram positive and can often be found in small clusters (Mandal, 2010). It often forms chains and is a large contributor of soft tissue infections. It is of a yellow color, hence the name ?aureus? which comes from the Latin term ?aurum? for gold (Orenstein, n.d.). Staphylococcus aureus is found in a few spots on the human body, such as the nasal passage, the skin, the oral cavity, and even the gastrointestinal tract. Staphylococci and Streptococci are two different strands of the bacteria and are very hard to distinguish from one another. In order to tell the difference between them, without a microscope, a catalase test needs to be performed. The test is undergone by adding 3% hydrogen peroxide to both samples. Since Staphylococci are catalase positive, meaning they produce catalase, they will produce O? while the Streptococci will not because Streptococci are catalase negative (Todar, n.d.).

3) Is her history of rheumatic fever relevant to her current symptoms? Explain. Rheumatic fever caused by Group A Streptococcus bacteria may cause damage to heart tissues including valves. Overtime, congestive heart failure may have developed. However, the pulmonary semilunar valve seems to be the issue in this case study, whereas rheumatic fever normally affects left heart tissue.

What are these other serious illnesses that are caused by group A Streptococcus? What is group A Streptococcus? Group A streptococci are bacteria commonly found in the throat and on the skin. The vast majority of GAS infections are relatively mild illnesses, such as strep throat and impetigo. Occasionally, however, these bacteria can cause much more severe and even life threatening diseases such as necrotizing fasciitis (occasionally described as "the flesh-eating bacteria") and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS). In addition, people may carry group A streptococci in the throat or on the skin and have no symptoms of disease.

In S. pyogenes-associated necrotizing fasciitis, the bacteria first invade host fascia before spreading and causing more invasive damage. Initial GAS invasion can occur through three primary pathways: 1) preceding superficial infection; 2) direct inoculation; or 3) hematogenous seeding from a previous injury site. After colonization, GAS spread through the typically sterile fascial planes that separate muscle groups, which are only loosely held together by connective tissue. The streptococci then release several proteases and other virulence factors that cause localized tissue damage. Simultaneously, this dissemination prompts the arrival of acute inflammatory host cells; the response of polymorphouclear leukocytes (PMNs), in particular, can also contribute to the tissue damage characteristic of necrotizing fasciitis. Once the

If a streptococcal infection such as pharyngitis or scarlet fever is left untreated, there is a small (~3%) chance that within approximately 20 days, the patient will present with rheumatic fever. After the first bout of rheumatic fever, if the host acquires a second untreated S. Pyogenes infection, the chance of coming down with rheumatic fever jumps substantially to ~50%. Most often this secondary disease will strike people aged 6-15 years old, roughly 20 days after the streptococcal infection, with a 2-5% mortality rate. One of the major diagnostic symptoms of this disease is Erythema Marginatum, snake- or ring-like eruptions covering the trunk, upper arms, and legs. Other symptoms include fever, arthritis (elbows, knees, wrists, and ankles), swollen joints, pain in the abdomen, nodules

Group A. Streptococcus is a bacterium that causes many different types of infections. It is believed that at least 5-15% percent of the population are carriers of Group A Strep. These carriers tend to carry the bacteria on their skin or in their throats and usually remain asymptomatic.

Hospital acquired infections are one of the most common complications of care in the hospital setting. Hospital acquired infections are infections that patients acquired during the stay in the hospital. These infections can cause an increase number of days the patients stay in the hospital. Hospital acquired infections makes the patients worse or even causes death. “In the USA alone, hospital acquired infections cause about 1.7 million infections and 99,000 deaths per year”(secondary).

Also, contraction is very possible through the skin via abrasions both small and large. This type of infection would be contracted from exposure to other people harboring the bacteria, bacteria in the air, or bacteria on the injured person. Being infected this way can rarely result in necrotizing fasciitis. It is also very possible, albeit very rare, that Streptococcus pyogenes can be transmitted through food, most notably milk and its products. This form of infection is usually caused by improper or lack of pasteurization of the milk. The bacteria that are responsible hardly ever come from an outside source, and are usually present within the cow when infected milk is produced. However, these two other methods of transmission are far less likely than the usual human-to-human respiratory infections. (6,2,1)

It is an infection caused by pathogens such as viruses, but more likely bacteria, especially when children are getting sick. In particular, the "responsible" is the number one affection Streptococcus, to be defeated, as we shall see in a moment, with the right