A fever may be the first or only sign of infection. But some infections may not present with fever and it could be another symptom.
Symptoms of bacterial infections vary depending on where in your body is infected. The main symptom is often fever, except skin infections, which usually cause redness or pain on your skin.
Bacterial and viral infections can cause similar symptoms such as coughing and sneezing, fever, inflammation, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, and cramping -- all of which are ways the immune system tries to rid the body of infectious organisms.
Once unfriendly bacteria enter your body, your body's immune system tries to fight them off. But oftentimes, your body can't fight the infection naturally, and you need to take antibiotics - medication that kills the bacteria.
Antibiotics are only needed for treating certain infections caused by bacteria, but even some bacterial infections get better without antibiotics.
Your doctor may need a sample of your urine, stool or blood, or a swab from your nose or throat to see what sort of infection you have. If you have symptoms on an infection, it is important to know if it is caused by bacteria or viruses, because the treatments differ.
As discussed, if your symptoms are caused by a virus (like a cold or flu virus), you won't need antibiotics. But if you have a sore throat due to bacteria — for instance, strep throat or bacterial tonsillitis — you will need antibiotics.
An untreated bacterial infection can also put you at risk for developing a life-threatening condition called sepsis. Sepsis occurs when an infection causes an extreme reaction in your body. The bacteria most likely to cause sepsis include Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, and some types of Streptococcus.
Symptoms in case of acute Bacterial Infections may get resolved spontaneously in a duration of approx. two weeks, without undergoing treatment. However, in chronic cases when the symptoms persist for a longer duration, such as for 10 or more days, there is a need for the consultation with a doctor.
Urinary tract infections (UTI)
UTIs are mainly caused by the bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli) and are the most common infection in humans worldwide.
Antibiotics are used to treat or prevent some types of bacterial infection. They kill bacteria or prevent them from reproducing and spreading. Antibiotics aren't effective against viral infections. This includes the common cold, flu, most coughs and sore throats.
The treatment for bacterial infections is usually a course of antibiotics. Doctors may prescribe antiviral medications for certain viral infections, but few antiviral medications exist. There are some illnesses that tend to develop due to either bacteria or viruses.
A fever may be the first or only sign of infection. But some infections may not present with fever and it could be another symptom.
Many give off chemicals called toxins, which can damage tissue and make you sick. Examples of bacteria that cause infections include Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and E. coli. Antibiotics are the usual treatment.
In many cases, you only need to take antibiotics for a week or two to fully recover from an infection.
Sleep deprivation may decrease production of these protective cytokines. In addition, infection-fighting antibodies and cells are reduced during periods when you don't get enough sleep. So, your body needs sleep to fight infectious diseases.