Antibiotics and Common Illnesses

When you're sick, antibiotics are not always the answer. In fact, taking antibiotics when you don't need them can be harmful. This article answers some common questions about when antibiotics are helpful and when they are not.

Bacteria vs. Viruses

There are two main types of organisms that cause infections: viruses and bacteria. Illnesses caused by viruses (especially in the nose and throat) are more common than illnesses caused by bacteria. Common illnesses caused by viruses are colds, most sore throats, and most coughs.
Antibiotics are strong medicines that treat bacterial infections. Antibiotics won't treat viral infections because they can't kill viruses. You'll get better when the viral infection has run its course.
Common illnesses caused by bacteria are urinary tract infections, strep throat, and some pneumonia. Antibiotics can treat bacterial infections by killing the bacteria that causes them.

Problems With Antibiotic Use

Bacteria can become stronger than antibiotics — these bacteria are known as resistant bacteria. This makes it harder for the medicine to kill the bacteria and treat the infection.
The increase in resistant bacteria is caused when people:

• Don't take antibiotics as directed (such as not finishing the entire prescription given by the doctor).
• Use antibiotics when they are not needed.
• Use antibiotics too often.

Note: If you are taking any other medicine, either prescription or over-the-counter, talk to your doctor or pharmacist to make sure that the combination isn't a problem.

When to Use Antibiotics

When to use antibiotics depends on your specific health problem. Your doctor can best answer this question. Here are a few examples.
Ear pain: Both viruses and bacteria can cause ear pain. If you have severe ear pain or ear pain that continues for more than 48 to 72 hours, schedule an appointment with your doctor. Your doctor can tell if you have a bacterial infection and give you a prescription for antibiotics.
Sinus infections: If you have a long-lasting or severe sinus infection, your doctor might decide to start you on antibiotics. If you have thick or green mucus, you probably don't have a sinus infection.
Cough or bronchitis: Viruses usually cause bronchitis and coughs, and antibiotics won't help you get better. The Consulting Nurse Service will have ideas about what you can do to feel more comfortable while the viral infection runs its course.
Sore throat: Viruses are the cause of most sore throats and can't be treated with antibiotics. However, strep throat is caused by bacteria and antibiotics can help. In most cases, your doctor will take a throat swab to test for strep before prescribing an antibiotic for a sore throat.
Colds and flu: Viruses cause colds and flu. These illnesses can last for two weeks or more. Antibiotics have no effect on colds or flu. The Consulting Nurse Service will have ideas about what you can do to feel more comfortable while the viral infection runs its course.

Where to buy antibiotics?
Buy antibiotics online at http://www.halfpricegear.com Discover more about the world of strength and beauty with HalfPriceGear.com

Meningitis in Сhildren

Meningitis is the medical term for inflammation of the tissues (meninges) that surround the brain and spinal cord. The inflammation is most commonly caused by a virus or a bacterium, which travels from an infection in another part of the body through the bloodstream to the meninges. The treatment and long-term outlook of meningitis differ considerably based upon the cause.

There are two main types of meningitis: viral and bacterial.

Bacterial meningitis — There are many types of bacteria that can cause bacterial meningitis. The most likely type depends upon the child's age, history of vaccinations, and current or past medical problems. The two most common causes of bacterial meningitis in older infants and children in the United States are bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae or pneumococcus and Neisseria meningitidis or meningococcus.

Certain factors can increase a child's risk of developing bacterial meningitis, including recent exposure to someone with bacterial meningitis, recent infection (eg, ear or sinus infection), travel to areas where bacterial meningitis is common (eg, sub-Saharan Africa), serious head injury, problems with the immune system, cochlear implants, and certain anatomic abnormalities.

Bacterial meningitis is a medical emergency that must be treated quickly to minimize the risk of serious illness or even death. Even when treated appropriately, children who recover from bacterial meningitis sometimes have long-term complications.

Viral meningitis — The most common cause of viral meningitis is a family of viruses called enterovirus. In the United States, enteroviral meningitis is seen more frequently from June to October. Enteroviruses are spread by direct contact with feces during activities such as diaper changing or indirectly through contaminated water, food, and surfaces.

Other viruses that cause meningitis can be spread by airborne droplets, direct contact, during birth, or through the bite of an animal (eg, rabies) or bug (eg, mosquito, tick).

In developed countries, viral meningitis is more common than bacterial meningitis and is generally less severe. Children with viral meningitis usually recover completely with supportive treatment.


MENINGITIS TREATMENT

The treatment for meningitis depends upon whether the meningitis is caused by a virus or a bacterium. However, this distinction may not be clear until the culture results are available (usually 48 to 72 hours after they are obtained). In many cases, children are treated as if they have bacterial meningitis until bacterial meningitis is definitively excluded. The reason for this is that there is a significant risk of serious illness or even death if the child has bacterial meningitis and treatment is delayed for a prolonged period of time.

Bacterial meningitis — Bacterial meningitis is a life-threatening illness that requires hospitalization and treatment with intravenous antibiotics. The child will be monitored closely for signs of complications. Depending upon the severity of the illness, the child may also need supportive treatments to aid breathing, maintain blood pressure, prevent excessive bleeding, and keep the child hydrated.

Antibiotics — Treatment with antibiotics is usually started immediately after the blood tests and lumbar puncture are performed. Treatment is administered intravenously. Oral antibiotics are not recommended. The concentration of antibiotics necessary to treat bacterial meningitis cannot be achieved with oral administration.

Length of treatment — The length of antibiotic treatment depends upon the results of the bacterial cultures.

    If the cultures are negative and the child has improved, antibiotics may be discontinued after 48 to 72 hours.
    If the cultures are positive, the length of treatment depends upon the bacteria that is identified and whether there are complications. The treatment course may range from several days to several weeks.

Viral meningitis — In most cases, there is no medication that can eliminate the virus causing viral meningitis. Instead, treatment is supportive, meaning that it is given to support the child while he or she recovers. This generally includes rest, encouraging the child to drink an adequate amount of fluid (when alert enough to do so), providing intravenous fluids (if unable to drink enough fluid), and medications to treat fever and/or headache (eg, acetaminophen or ibuprofen). These medications should be dosed according to weight, not age.

Actinomycosis Diagnosis And Treatment

Actinomycosis pathogens are various kinds of actinomycetes, fungi living on gramineous plants (barley, wheat, rye, velour grasses, straw). In human body they get via inhale with dust or via swallow. The likelihood of infecting increases during grain handling. Is possible contact penetration of pathogen via damaged skin and mucous membranes.

Actinomycetes may be found in healthy people in mouth, dental plaque, on mucosa of digestive tract. The disease is caused by severe immunity decline.

Diagnosis
Symptoms, X-ray examination and extraction of pathogen from white matter, exspuition or tissues help doctor make a right diagnosis. In case of intestinal forms of the disease it is impossible to get tissue samples because here is needed diagnostic surgery.

Treatment
Damage of jaws is most treatable form of actinomycosis. The prognosis is less favorable in case of abdominal, chest and generalized forms. Most favorable prognosis is in case of damage of brain and spinal cord – more than 50% of people with these forms of infection have neurological disorders and more than 25% of people die.

The recovery comes slowly but patients feel better after treatment. However, full recovery frequently requires months of antibiotics therapy along with rehearsal of surgical procedures. Surgical drainage of big abscesses and therapy with penicillin or tetracycline are performed during several weeks after symptoms disappear.

What Is Abscess Treatment

Often abscess courses without special treatment – it opens by itself and its contents flows out 

Sometimes abscess goes away slowly without burstings as body fights infection and dead tissues go through corresponding changes After abscess goes away, there may be left a hard nodule on its spot.

In order to lessen pain and fasten healing you may prick the abscess and drain it. To drain large amount of abscess it is necessary to consult the doctor to let him examine it to destroy walls and release all white matter.

After draining the large abscess there remains an empty space which should be tamponed. Sometimes there is necessary to insert temporal artificial drainages (usually these are thin plastic tubes).

Abscess is not supplied with blood, therefore antibiotics usually are ineffective. They may be prescribed after abscess drain to prevent relapse.

Antibiotics may be prescribed when abscess is source of infection spread on other organs. Seeding of white matter for antibiotics sensitivity helps the doctor to choose most effective medication.

Scarlet Fever

Scarlet fever is an acute streptococcic disease characterized with rash, fever, common intoxication, angina, tachycardia. Pathogen is streptococcus belonging to group A. Source of infection is diseased person at first days of his illness. Most frequently scarlet fever affects children under 10 years old. Morbidity increases at autumn and winter period.

Symptoms and course
Incubation period lasts 2 – 7 days. The disease starts acutely. Body temperature increases, patient suffers from weakness, headache, chill, sore throat during swallowing. Common and persistent symptom is angina: pharynx redding, lymphatic glands increase, amygdala increase and pellicle on them. By the end of first day appears red punctulated rash, especially on spots where natural skin lines are located. Face has red color, and nose with mouth have white color with punctulated rash. On limb flexures frequently occur punctate hemorrhages.

Rash may have small blisters filled with liquid. Some patients may suffer from itching. Rash keeps for 2 – 5 days and then turns pale, body temperature lowers. On the second week occurs lamellar skin damage, especially on hand flexures.

Patient suffers from tachycardia, high angiasthenia. Liver and spleen are increased. At average, scarlet fever lasts from 5 to 10 days. Mild forms have mild symptoms, severe forms are characterized with intoxication, loss of consciousness, spasms, cardiovascular collapse, kidney failure.

Complications: lymphadenitis, otitis, mastoiditis, nephritis, rheumatism, myocarditis, brain otitic abscess.

Treatment
If patient gets treatment at home, there must be created special conditions for him. Hospitalization is required in severe cases. Bed regimen is required for 5 – 6 days. Are prescribed antibiotics of penicillin group, vitamins (vitamins B, P, C), detoxication. Course of treatment with antibiotics is 5 – 7 days.

Preventive measures
Isolation of diseased patients. Recovering patients should avoid contacts with newly diseased people. The release from hospital not earlier than in 10 days. Children should go to school in 23 days after the onset of scarlet fever. In apartment should be performed disinfection regularly.

Whooping Cough (Pertussis)

Pertussis is a contagion characterized with acute affections of respiratory tract with episodes of spasmodic cough. The source of infection is diseased person who is bacteria carrier. Especially virulent are diseased people at first stage of the disease (catarrhal stage of the disease).
Infection is spread by airborne transmission. More frequently disease affects children of preschool age, especially in autumn and winter.

Incubation period lasts from 2 to 14 days (usually 4 – 7 days). Ctarrhal stage is characterized with common disorder, cough, sneeze, temperature. Gradually cough aggravates, children become irritable and capricious. At the end of second week of disease starts stage of spasmodic cough. Spell is followed  with series of coughing strokes, then occurs sibilant inhale, alternating with a number of short spasmodic strokes. The number of such cycles may vary from 2 to 15. The spell ends up with release of semifluid glassen spit, sometimes may vomit occur. During spell child is excited, veins are enlarged, tongue is lolled out, frenulum of tongue frequently gets traumatized, respiratory standstill occurs.

In adults the disease courses without spasmodic cough strokes. Pertussis shows with long bronchitis with cough. Temperature of body is normal. Common well-being is satisfactory.

Recognition
The disease may be recognized after clinical and laboratory tests. Major method is detection of agent. At first week of disease positive results are found in 95% diseased, and at forth week just in 50%.

Treatment
Patients younger than one year and also those with complications, with severe forms of pertussis should be hospitalized. In other cases patients get treated at home. Antibiotics are used at early age in severe cases. It is recommended to use special gamma globulin injections 1ml daily during three days. In case of apneustic breath it is necessary to clear respiratory tract from mucus and to perform  factitius lung ventilation.

Also are recommended antihistamine medications, vitamins, oxygen therapy, aerosol inhalation of proteoclastic ferment that ease release of viscous sputum. Patients should spend more time outdoors.

Preventive Measures
For immunization is used exhausted pertussis diphtheria tetanus vaccine. Children of one year old are injected with immunoglobulin for prevention. 

Brucellosis

Brucellosis is an contagiuos disease caused by the bacteria of the genus Brucella. The bacteria is passed among animals, and it causes disease in many different vertebrates. Different Brucella species affect sheep, goats, cattle, deer, elk, pigs, dogs. Humans become infected by coming in contact with animals or animal products that are contaminated with these bacteria. In humans brucellosis can cause a range of symptoms that are similar to the flu and may include fever, sweats, headaches, back pains, physical weakness. Severe infections of the central nervous systems or lining of the heart may occur.

All people, regardless of risk status, should be monitored for the development of symptoms. From the last exposure, temperature should be actively monitored for fever for four weeks. Broader symptoms of brucellosis should be passively monitored for six months from the last exposure.

These symptoms include:
 * Acutely: fever, chills, headache, low back pain, joint pain, malaise, occasionally diarrhea
 * Sub-acutely: malaise, muscle pain, headache, neck pain, fever, sweats
 * Chronically: anorexia, weight loss, abdominal pain, joint pain, headache, backache, weakness, irritability, insomnia, depression, constipation.

Humans are infected in one of three ways:
1. eating or drinking something that is contaminated with Brucella
2. breathing in the organism
3. having the bacteria enter the body through skin wounds

The most common way to be infected is by eating or drinking contaminated milk products. When sheep, goats, cows, camels are infected, their milk is contaminated with the bacteria. If the milk is not pasteurized, these bacteria can be transmitted to persons who drink the milk or eat cheeses made it. Inhalation of Brucella organisms is not a common route of infection, but it can be a significant hazard for people working in laboratories where the organism is cultured. Inhalation is often responsible for a significant percentage of cases in abattoir employees. Contamination of skin wounds may be a problem for people working in slaughterhouses or meat packing plants or for veterinarians.

Direct person-to-person spread of brucellosis is rare. Mothers who are breast-feeding may transmit the infection to their babes. Sexual transmission has also been reported. For both sexual and breast-feeding transmission, if the baby or person at risk is treated for brucellosis, their risk of becoming infected will be eliminated within three days. Transmission may also occur via contaminated tissue transplantation.

Preventive Measures
Do not consume unpasteurized milk, cheese, ice cream while traveling. If you are not sure that the dairy product is pasteurized, don't eat it. Hunters should use rubber gloves when handling viscera of animals. There is no vaccine available for humans.

Treatment
The treatment can be difficult. Doctors can prescribe effective antibiotics. Doxycycline and rifampin are used in combination for 6 weeks to prevent reoccuring infection. Depending on the timing of treatment and severity of illness, recovery may take a few weeks to several months. Mortality is low and is associated with endocarditis.