Having passed the tests, any person with impatience and awe awaits their results. If the doctor says that you have diplococcus in a smear, do not immediately panic. Let's try to figure out what such analysis results indicate.
What is diplococci? These bacteria belong to the Lactobacteriaceae family. Most of them are spherical in shape. There are diplococci and bean-shaped. They connect in pairs and rarely form small chains. Diplococci relate to both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. There are more than 80 serotypes. This pathogenic bacterium is one of the causative agents of diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis, gonorrhea.
Diplococci in a smear can be of several types. One of the most unpleasant are gonococci, which are the causative agents of such a sexually transmitted disease as gonorrhea. In men, this disease is manifested by pain during urination, serous-purulent discharge, painful nocturnal erections, swelling of the glans penis. In women, gonorrhea is manifested by purulent discharge, a violation of urination. Gonococci are one of the most pathogenic pathogens of this species. With this disease, diplococcus in the smear and a high white blood cell count are detected.
Gonococcus is sensitive to disinfectants, drying, temperature, benzylpenicillin, tetracycline, erythromycin, doxycycline, cephalosporins, biseptol. Immunity to gonorrhea is not formed. Emergency prophylaxis consists in the local use of chlorhexidine bigluconate after a sexual intercourse (0.05% solution), and the constant - in the use of a condom.
Other types of diplococci are not so pathogenic, but their detection in analyzes always indicates some kind of pathology. In any case, if diplococcus is found in a smear, you should fight not only with the bacteria themselves, but also with the consequences of the diseases caused by them. Any self-medication can aggravate the condition of the patient and lead to serious complications. If diplococcus is found in the smear, only a competent doctor can prescribe the treatment.
Meningococcal infection is characterized by lesions of the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx, the lining of the brain, and septicemia. This diplococcus in a smear resembles a pair of coffee beans facing each other with a concave surface. These bacteria are motionless, gram-negative, do not form spores, have an unstable capsule. The pathogenicity factor of this bacterium is a toxin, the amount of which depends on the severity of the disease.
Meningococci in the external environment are unstable and very sensitive to cooling and drying. They are sensitive to tetracyclines, penicillins, erythromycin. They are resistant to sulfamides and ristomycin. Sensitive to solutions: 0.2% bleach, 1% phenol, 1% chloramine. The nasopharynx is the pathway of infection entering the body. Some people, having this bacterium in the nasopharynx, do not get sick, but they are its carriers. There are two forms of this infection: generalized (meningitis, meningoencephalitis) and localized (nasopharyngitis). The incubation period is 1-10 days. Bacteria from the nasopharynx enter the bloodstream (meningococcemia), after which there is a lesion of the mucous membranes and meninges, accompanied by fever, hemorrhagic rash, and inflammation of the meninges. With a generalized form of the disease, immunity is persistent, intense. Specific prophylaxis is carried out by vaccination, and non-specific - compliance with the sanitary-anti-epidemic regime.
Pneumococcal infection can cause fever, shortness of breath, cough, chest pain, tightening of the occipital muscles, confusion, photophobia, disorientation. The main treatment method is antibiotic therapy.
Very often extracellular diplococci are found in the smear, which may be evidence of a violation of the microflora in the woman’s vagina or in the urethra of the man. If they are detected, a second analysis will be required to clarify the diagnosis.