Salmonellosis is a very common foodborne infection that affects children of different ages. The disease is well amenable to medical treatment, but in some conditions can lead to the development of dangerous complications.
Naturally, many parents are interested in additional information. What are the symptoms of salmonellosis in a child? How does an infection enter the body? What drugs are prescribed by a doctor? How can I help the baby at home? What complications can an infection cause? Answers to these questions are important to many readers.
Pathogen Characterization
Salmonellosis is an infectious disease that is caused by some types of salmonella. These are gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria. The pathogen cell is protected by a microcapsule and is equipped with peritrichia, which ensure its mobility.
Once in the human body, salmonella settles in the intestinal mucosa. Here, pathogenic microorganisms begin to multiply and produce a specific toxin, which causes the death of beneficial bacteria microflora.
It is worth noting that the causative agents of salmonellosis are very unpretentious - they can for a long time remain viable in the environment. Bacteria die at a temperature of 60 degrees (within 12 minutes). But when frozen, the cells retain the ability to live. Pathogenic cells are also detrimental to ultraviolet radiation.
Ways of spread of infection
We already know why salmonellosis develops in a child. The reasons are understandable - a pathogenic bacterium enters his body. But how is this going? The spread of infection can be carried out in different ways.
- Most often, salmonella enters the body with food - the source of infection can be animal meat, eggs. That is why it is so important to buy only fresh products and follow the rules for their storage. Food must undergo appropriate heat treatment.
- Bacteria can also spread with drinking water. In addition, you can catch the infection while swimming in a polluted pond, pool (if appropriate disinfection is not carried out).
- A contact-domestic way of transmission of salmonella is also possible. For example, an infection can spread among team members while sharing utensils, towels, toys and other items (such a picture can often be seen in schools and kindergartens).
- Potentially hazardous is contact with some domestic and wild animals. The fact is that representatives of some species can be carriers of infection (the animals themselves have no symptoms of intestinal diseases).
- You can catch the infection with close contact and an infected person.
Gastrointestinal form and its symptoms
Salmonellosis in a child can occur in different ways. It all depends on the age of the patient, the state of the immune system, the degree of infection, the quality of the therapy provided, and many other factors.
The incubation period of salmonellosis in children, as a rule, lasts from 1 to 4 days, although in some babies the symptoms appear already several hours after the invasion.
At first, characteristic signs of intoxication appear. Body temperature rises to 37.5-38 degrees. There is weakness, chills, headaches. The baby becomes tearful, sleeps poorly, is naughty.
Then you can observe the symptoms indicating damage to the tissues of the digestive system. Spastic abdominal pains appear - discomfort, as a rule, is localized in the stomach and navel. The patient suffers from nausea, which then turns into indomitable vomiting.
Symptoms of salmonellosis in children include diarrhea - feces are liquid, watery, and sometimes frothy, and often acquire a greenish tint. Bloating and rumbling in the abdomen can be observed. In the most severe cases, the baby's skin acquires a bluish tint. Clonic seizures are possible.
Sometimes salmonellosis develops as enterocolitis. In such cases, approximately 2-3 days after the onset of the disease, the amount of feces begins to decline. False urge to defecate. In stool, sometimes impurities of mucus and blood are present.
Gastritic form
In some patients, salmonellosis proceeds as a gastritis. In this case, there is no diarrhea, which sometimes greatly complicates the diagnostic process. The inflammatory process begins abruptly - there is a slight increase in body temperature, but other symptoms of intoxication are practically absent.
Small patients suffer from severe pain, which is localized in the epigastrium. As the disease progresses, severe vomiting appears.
It is worth noting that even after successful treatment, the bacteria for some time still remain in the patient's body. In acute form, the child is contagious within 15-90 days. Nevertheless, sometimes the disease becomes chronic - in such cases, the patient is a carrier of bacteria for another three months, even after undergoing appropriate therapy.
Typhoid Salmonellosis
Salmonellosis in a child may be accompanied by other symptoms. With a typhoid-like form, disorders such as vomiting and diarrhea, if present, pass quickly. At the same time, the baby is bothered by constant headaches. The child becomes weak, lethargic. There are problems with sleep - small patients constantly wake up at night.
Wavy changes in body temperature are also characteristic - fever is replaced by a normal state, and vice versa. Against the background of the disease, an increase in the size of the liver and spleen is often observed. A hemorrhagic rash appears on the skin of a small patient. It is worth noting that the clinical picture with such a disease is very similar to typhoid fever, which leads to incorrect diagnosis and, accordingly, ineffective therapy.
The clinical picture with a septic form of the disease
A similar form of salmonellosis is usually diagnosed in babies in their first year of life. At the initial stages, the appearance of standard symptoms of gastroenteritis can be observed. However, these disorders quickly disappear.
The disease is accompanied by constant fluctuations in body temperature. The kid begins to sweat a lot. During the examination, the doctor may notice an increase in the spleen and liver, the appearance of tachycardia. Myalgia is also a characteristic symptom - muscles are constantly in a state of tension, so the child suffers from constant pain and weakness.
It is worth noting that sometimes the infection spreads to other organ systems. In the absence of proper treatment, salmonellosis often ends with the formation of purulent foci in the lungs, the development of pneumonia and pleurisy, and damage to the kidneys and heart.
Features of the course of the disease in newborns
Salmonellosis in a child in the first year of life can occur a little differently. In this case, signs of general intoxication of the body come to the fore. For example, one can observe the retraction of a large fontanel. The baby becomes restless, sleeps poorly, refuses food and often spits up. Bloating also interferes with the baby’s sleep and rest.
Body temperature rises to 39 degrees, although in some cases this indicator may remain within normal limits for the first few days. Diarrhea usually appears after 3-4 days. The lack of treatment in this case often leads to death - you can not ignore the doctor’s prescriptions.
Diagnostic measures
Urgently need to see a doctor immediately after the first symptoms. Diagnosis of salmonellosis in a child can be difficult, as other intestinal infections are accompanied by similar disorders.
- First, a general examination is carried out, the doctor collects information about the symptoms for anamnesis.
- An effective diagnostic procedure is the bacterial culture of vomit or feces. Such a study takes several days, but makes it possible to grow a culture of the pathogen, determine its type, and check the sensitivity of bacteria to certain drugs. If there is a suspicion of a generalization of infection, then bile and urine samples can also be taken for analysis.
- Sometimes immunofluorescence is additionally recommended - by the way, kits for conducting such tests at home can be purchased at the pharmacy.
- Serological tests for salmonellosis in children are also performed. Such a study allows you to detect the presence of specific antibodies in the blood, which confirm the presence of salmonellosis pathogens in the patient's body. By the way, the child is referred to such tests both at the diagnostic stage and after completion of the course of therapy (this makes it possible to check whether it was possible to get rid of the infection).
Drug therapy
Treatment of such a disease is best done in a hospital setting - so the child will be constantly under the supervision of a doctor. The specialist will select and draw up a therapy scheme, focusing on the patient’s age, his general condition, and the degree of infection spread throughout the body.
- Antibiotics for salmonellosis in children are used only in severe cases of the disease or generalization of infection. Effective are Rifampicin, Amikacin, Nevigramon. Mild forms of an infectious disease do not require the use of antibacterial agents.
- Small patients are prescribed sorbents (for example, Enterosgel), which help to bind and excrete toxins secreted by pathogenic bacteria.
- Dehydration is extremely dangerous, therefore, rehydration of the body is carried out using special solutions.
- The intestinal microflora is the first to suffer from salmonellosis - its natural composition must be restored. For this purpose, patients are prescribed Linex, Bifiform, and Hilak. Such drugs help to colonize the tissues with beneficial bacteria and create conditions in the intestine for their active reproduction.
- With severe diarrhea, drugs such as Neointestopan and Imodium are used.
- If the baby suffers from abdominal pain, the doctor prescribes antispasmodic drugs (for example, “No-Shpu”).
- A little patient needs bed rest, rest and proper nutrition.
How much is salmonellosis in a child treated? In this case, it all depends on the state of the immune system. Sometimes the symptoms of intestinal infection disappear after 4-5 days. Some children develop bacterial carriage, which requires additional recovery measures - therapy in this case can last for months.
Treatment of salmonellosis in children at home
It is impossible to self-medicate with such a disease, especially when it comes to a small child. After discharge from the hospital, the baby needs appropriate care. In particular, it is necessary to maintain a water-salt balance. The child needs to drink a lot. For this purpose, juices, fruit drinks, teas, compotes, non-carbonated mineral water are suitable.
It is important to follow a proper diet. Periodic children should also take vitamin complexes - this will help strengthen the immune system, prevent the transition of acute inflammation to a chronic form and bacterial carriage.
Power Features
Treatment of salmonellosis in children necessarily includes nutrition correction. A properly selected diet will help to gradually improve the digestive system.
If we are talking about a newborn baby, then, of course, for him the main food remains breast milk. In the diet of a child older than four months (if he is on artificial feeding), you can include special sour-milk mixtures, buckwheat or rice porridge on the water, as well as light vegetable puree.
The diet for salmonellosis in older children has some features. The diet should consist of light, grated dishes that are quickly absorbed by the digestive system. The menu can include baked fruits, boiled vegetables in the form of mashed potatoes, dairy-free cereals. Fish and meat are allowed, but only non-fat varieties - such products must undergo proper heat treatment. It is better to use them in grated form.
Of course, some dishes should be excluded from the diet. The following products are prohibited:
- dairy and sour-milk products, as they enhance intestinal motility and only aggravate the condition of a small patient;
- flour products, pastries from rye flour;
- pickles and canned foods;
- sweets;
- spices;
- smoked meats;
- berries;
- Fresh vegetables and fruits (they must be consumed either boiled or baked).
In the first five days, the daily amount of food should be reduced. Of course, it is not worth keeping the baby alone in the water, especially if the baby is hungry. More preferred is fractional nutrition. You need to eat often (every 2 hours), but in small portions - this way you can remove the load from the digestive tract, provide fast, maximum complete digestion and assimilation of food.
Such a diet should be followed for 27-30 days. Of course, as you recover, you can gradually introduce the usual dishes and dairy products into the diet, but it is important to carefully monitor the reaction of the child.
Possible effects of salmonellosis in children
Each parent who is faced with a similar problem is interested in how a similar disease can affect the health and further development of the baby. Immediately it is worth saying that the treatment of salmonellosis in children in most cases ends successfully - the body is fully restored.
As for complications, their appearance, as a rule, is associated either with improperly performed or delayed treatment, or with a strong weakening of the immune system (for example, babies and babies born prematurely are more likely to suffer intestinal infections).
- The disease is associated with prolonged dehydration, which is dangerous, especially when it comes to a growing body. Sometimes, against the background of the disease, a malfunction of the renal tubules is observed, which leads to the accumulation of nitrogenous toxins in the blood, the development of renal failure.
- Prolonged intoxication negatively affects the functioning of the cardiovascular system. In severe cases, salmonellosis is complicated by cerebral edema.
- Along with blood, the pathogen quickly spreads throughout the body. In most cases, the digestive system suffers from the infection, but the inflammatory process sometimes extends to other organs.
- If a child is ill with salmonellosis, then for some time he is a carrier of infection. Sometimes such a carriage of bacteria takes on a chronic form. In this case, the baby must undergo an additional course of treatment. In addition, there may be problems with visiting a kindergarten, school, pool and other public places - in the hospital, doctors may refuse to issue an appropriate certificate.
- If a chronic form of the disease occurs, then patients periodically experience recurrence of salmonellosis.
Prevention: how to prevent infection
Prevention of salmonellosis in children comes down to following some simple rules:
- To teach a child to observe the rules of personal hygiene is from an early age. If the baby is still too small, then you can’t let him out of sight - carefully monitor what the child is playing with and what it is about.
- It is necessary to limit the contact of children with farm animals that may be carriers of infection.
- It is necessary to try to limit the contact of the child with the sick.
- All food must undergo proper heat treatment. Do not forget that fruits and vegetables must be thoroughly washed before use. Buy meat products and eggs from conducted sellers, follow the rules for their storage.
- If you have doubts about the quality of drinking water, then it will not hurt to get a home filter or, at least, boil water before use.
- Do not swim in potentially hazardous water.
- Wet cleaning should be carried out regularly in the house, without forgetting to thoroughly wash all children's toys.
- The baby’s clothes (as well as mother’s clothes and bedding) should be washed at high temperature and must be ironed.
Symptoms of salmonellosis in children are not so difficult to notice. In the presence of any disturbing changes in the condition of the baby, you should immediately consult a doctor. Infection is much easier to treat if it was diagnosed on time.