This bacterium belongs to the family of enterobacteria. And among other representatives of this "family" such as Klebsiella and Escherichia, it can provoke bad consequences. Although all three of these species often live in the body as normal inhabitants of the digestive tract. Often, the Proteus bacterium resides where people are nearby - in kindergartens and hospitals.
In hospitals, this bacterium lives on the skin and mucous membranes of both patients and staff. However, diseases due to her fault rarely occur, the proportion of Proteus among nosocomial infections is small. Usually people with problematic immunity (with HIV or other immunodeficiency states), as well as patients who have an abnormal structure of the urinary tract or those who need to insert a catheter into the urinary tract, usually suffer. It is then that the proteus bacterium can manifest itself.
A variety of Proteus mirabilis causes the disease most often. He has special hairs that allow you to attach to the walls of the endothelium of the urinary tract, and cling to the affected cells of the host body. Often, the Proteus bacterium provokes apoptosis of the cells of the host organism, as a result of uninvited guests, it “flushes” along with the exfoliated dead epithelial cell. However, this is an unfavorable process. In addition, the proteus bacterium produces the malicious enzyme urease, which increases the likelihood of developing pyelonephritis several times. So Proteus is terrible not with unpleasant sensations, but with potential complications.
When a bacterium enters the bloodstream, it secretes endotoxin (a fragment of the cell wall), which provokes a very strong inflammatory response. In some patients, this can trigger sepsis, although the likelihood is extremely small. Nevertheless, the likelihood of a systemic inflammatory response is possible, and mortality with it can be 20-50%, even in our time. Typically, such conditions occur in patients who are in hospitals for a long time and who constantly need to change the catheter, that is, whose urinary tract is constantly traumatized.
The bacterium Proteus alkalizes urine, decomposing it to ammonium, thereby the pathogen creates favorable conditions for itself. However, this is only half the problem. The second is that it causes the formation of unusual stones - struvite. But this is a very serious complication for people who already had to insert a catheter all the time. These stones are composed of phosphates and dissolve in an acidic environment. But Proteus maintains an alkaline environment.
Mostly women are infected, the likelihood of illness among those who have a catheter constantly placed is 10-15%, the prevalence of this nosocomial infection in the list is the second (after pneumonia).
How is Proteus treated ? Proteus mirabilis is sensitive to cephalosporins, which is not the case with proteus vulgaris. Treatment in this case requires the use of other antibiotics, such as sulbactam and meropenem. Proteus vulgaris is less likely to cause diseases of the urinary tract.
If the patient has alkaline urine in combination with complaints of pain, this immediately leads the doctor to think of infection with the proteome. In this case, a two-week course of quinolones and gentamicin is prescribed, of course, not all patients tolerate the latter well, but it is very effective. Because it destroys not only Proteus, but also other possible pathogens.
After treatment in the hospital, care should be taken to ensure that there is as little need for a catheter as possible. The patient should receive a lot of fluids so that the process of releasing the body from the infection goes faster. Proteus absolutely does not need to be afraid of everyone, he does not even affect everyone with problematic immunity, and besides, they fight him in hospitals, so the Proteus bacterium is the concern of the doctor, not the patient’s relatives.