What causes bacterial infections? A bacterial infection occurs when bacteria enter the body, increase in number, and cause a reaction in the body. Bacteria can enter the body through an opening in your skin, such as a cut or a surgical wound, or through your airway and cause infections like bacterial pneumonia.
You usually get bacterial infections when bacteria get into your body through your mouth, your nose, your eyes or a cut in your skin. Sometimes, bacteria that normally live on your skin or in your body get into places they're not supposed to (like through an injury) and reproduce.
Bacteria must enter your body for them to cause an infection. So you can get a bacterial infection through an opening in your skin, such as a cut, a bug bite, or a surgical wound. Bacteria can also enter your body through your airway and cause infections like bacterial pneumonia.
Bacterial Infections
Symptoms persist longer than the expected 10-14 days a virus tends to last. Fever is higher than one might typically expect from a virus. Fever gets worse a few days into the illness rather than improving.
Infectious diseases can be caused by: Bacteria. These one-cell organisms are responsible for illnesses such as strep throat, urinary tract infections and tuberculosis.
When Antibiotics Are Needed. Antibiotics are only needed for treating certain infections caused by bacteria, but even some bacterial infections get better without antibiotics. We rely on antibiotics to treat serious, life-threatening conditions such as pneumonia and sepsis, the body's extreme response to an infection.
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.
Bacterial infections can cause some general symptoms, such as pain, fever, and swollen lymph nodes. They may also cause some other symptoms depending on where in the body they occur. Bacterial infections typically require treatment with antibiotics.
Many bacterial infections are contagious, meaning that they can be transmitted from person to person. There are many ways this can occur, including: close contact with a person who has a bacterial infection, including touching and kissing.
Antibiotics are the usual treatment. When you take antibiotics, follow the directions carefully. Each time you take antibiotics, you increase the chances that bacteria in your body will learn to resist them causing antibiotic resistance.
The most deadly bacterial disease contracted by human beings is mycobacterium tuberculosis, the world's leading infectious disease with more than 1,700,000 deaths per year. As much as 13% of cases are resistant to most antibiotics, and about 6% are resistant or unresponsive to essentially all treatment.
However, we do know the condition most often occurs in those who are sexually active. BV is a result of an imbalance of “good” and “harmful” bacteria in a vagina. Douching, not using condoms, and having new or multiple sex partners can upset the normal balance of vaginal bacteria, increasing your risk for getting BV.
Bacterial respiratory infections (and pneumonia)
Pneumonia is swelling of the tissue in the lungs, usually caused by infection with bacteria. The most common cause is a pneumococcal infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae, although Staphylococcus aureus and Haemophilus influenzae can also cause it.
Many viral and bacterial infections can be treated at home or with urgent care. However, you may need go to the emergency room if your symptoms are severe or if you are in a high-risk group.
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.
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.
Citrus fruit
We know people with vitamin C deficiency are more likely to develop infections, and we also know that vitamin C can reduce infection severity. Other great sources of vitamin C besides citrus fruits include red peppers, strawberries, kiwifruit, papayas, tomatoes, broccoli, and kale.
Bacterial skin infections often begin as small, red bumps that slowly increase in size. Some bacterial infections are mild and easily treated with topical antibiotics, but other infections require an oral antibiotic. Different types of bacterial skin infections include: cellulitis.
But infectious bacteria can make you ill. They reproduce quickly in your body. 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.
A tooth abscess, urinary tract infection, or other type of bacterial infection can cause intense pain. The pain is often accompanied by inflammation, which is produced by the immune system's attack on the bacteria.
The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that bacteria are rapidly killed at temperatures above 149°F (65°C). This temperature is below that of boiling water or even a simmer.