Endurance and stability ... Good qualities. If we are not talking about pathogens. But these are precisely the enterococci, and this does not allow us to relax in the fight against them. This opponent is sometimes extremely difficult to defeat. But - perhaps, you will find the necessary knowledge in this article.
What do enterococci look like in a smear? In the analyzes, the chains into which these pathogens are assembled are visible. They are detected by some produced enzymes, as well as if antibodies against them are found in the blood.
Another headache of doctors is that enterococcus "lives" in hospitals and there it becomes multi-resistant to various antibiotics, which makes the fight against it a difficult task. After all, enterococci managed to adapt to almost all types of antibiotics to a greater or lesser extent. New antibiotics (linezolid, for example) can so far fight enterococci, but sometimes in medical journals there is news about the resistance of these pathogens to the latest antibiotics. So the fight goes on. It is good that the body itself is able to successfully fight, and a good doctor considers these drugs as an adjuvant.
Where do pathogens live in the body? Enterococci are most often found in urine. However, the inner lining of the heart may be affected , wounds may be infected, bacteria settle around the catheter, which was introduced to the chronically ill. Sometimes these pathogens penetrate into the cavity, and also multiply in the blood (which is called bacteremia). It happens that bacteria provokes meningitis, lesions of the pleural spaces.
Often, enterococci simply settle in the digestive tract, without causing clinical manifestations of the infection. However, it is necessary to keep this process under control, because most patients who eventually became ill already had enterococci in their intestines before the onset of the disease. Therefore, enterococci in a smear from the rectum is a reason to start taking action.
This infection is especially dangerous for those patients who have been seriously and long-term ill (especially for those who have undergone long courses of antibiotic treatment), who have undergone an organ transplant operation and patients with blood cancer. Enterococci is also very dangerous for medical workers. Those who drink corticosteroids and receive parenteral nutrition are at risk.
However, if it is not about the intestines, but about the cervical canal, then this is not dangerous if there are few bacteria. Enterococci in a smear treatment is simple, if the doctor believes that the patient needs therapy in principle. As a rule, enterococci in the vagina are part of the normal flora, so do not panic and worry.
Enterococci in a smear are dangerous only if this smear was taken from the urethra. It is also bad if these pathogens are found in the blood, this may mean that they spread throughout the body. Very rarely, but they are still found in the cerebrospinal fluid, however, this usually happens against the background of meningitis (an infrequent case). Enterococci are also found in pus taken from soft tissues.
Such infections are treated with new antibiotics (streptogramin, teicoplanin, oritavancin). In general, such "heavy artillery" can be used only when the presence of enterococci is proven exactly where they are dangerous (the vagina and cervical canal do not count). New generation antibiotics are powerless against viruses, therefore, they are simply not prescribed for inflammatory processes, laboratory evidence of the presence of enterococci is necessary.
If you do not ignore the pain and discomfort in the urinary tract, but immediately consult a doctor, you can avoid such formidable consequences of enterococcal infection as endocarditis and meningitis. Just do not forget about yourself, your body needs attention.