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: Bacterial Infections In Children
DEAR DR.PAUL: What exactly are bacteria?
Are all bacteria dangerous? And are bacteria the same as viruses?
DR.PAUL ANSWERS: Very good question,
because in pediatrics a lot of the illnesses seen are infections.
There are basically three types of germs that infect humans: bacteria,
viruses and moulds(or fungi). Let me focus on your specific question.
Bacteria are living "uni-cellular" organisms, which means they
are made up of one cell. Each bacterial cell has the capacity
to live, grow and reproduce itself. Bacteria reproduce themselves
by dividing. In other words, one bacterial cell, will divide into
2, then into 4 and into 8, and so on. Bacteria are tiny and cannot
be seen be the naked eye. So as a "bacterial family" grows, millions
of individual bacteria are formed and in fact, seen only under
a microscope.
There are hundreds of different types of bacteria. Some that can
cause disease in humans and animals while others, which do not
cause any disease but may protect us from other more dangerous
forms of infections. The bacteria that can cause disease are known
as "pathogenic". Interestingly, some bacteria can only survive
in cold temperature, yet others need warm or even hot temperatures
to live. Pathogenic bacteria enter the body from a few possible
routes: One can breath in a bacteria, ingest or eat food covered
with bacteria or the infection can get in through the skin. Depending
on the type of bacteria and from where it enters the body, various
infections can occur including brain(meningitis), ear, throat,
sinus, stomach/intestinal, urinary, blood, bone and skin infections.
How do bacteria cause infection? This depends on the type. Some
bacteria cause infections just by growing and living in a certain
part of the body. The presence of these germs triggers our body's
defense or immune system to act. This reaction, known as inflammation
features redness, swelling and warmth around the area of the infection
(a skin infection for example). In other circumstances, bacteria
make certain chemicals called toxins which actually enter the
body and cause symptoms and sickness, possibly throughout the
body.
How are bacterial infections treated? The best approach is prevention.
By far, one of the most important advances in medicine over the
last century have been vaccines or immunization. Thanks to the
development of bacterial specific vaccines, illnesses like Diphtheria,
Tetanus, and Pertussis, have almost disappeared. Over the last
15 years, newer vaccines have become available which protect against
even more infections including meningitis, pneumonia, and severe
throat, bone and skin infections. Another important advance against
bacterial infections are antibiotics which have also saved countless
number of lives.
To answer your last question; Yes, there is a difference between
bacteria and viruses. Viruses are very tiny, in fact, much smaller
than bacteria. They infect by entering the and reproducing inside
the body's cells. By doing so they destroy the cells they infect
and spread. Like bacteria, there are pathogenic and non pathogenic
viruses. However, unlike bacteria, viruses are not affected by
antibiotics.
FOR RELATED DR.PAUL LINKS VISIT:
Infection Prevention Fact
Sheet
Antibiotic Fact Sheet
Immunization Section
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The information provided in this site is
designed to be an educational aid only. It is not intended to
replace the advice and care of your child's physician, nor is
it intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. If
you suspect that your child has a medical condition, always
consult a physician.
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