Bacteremia refers to the presence of bacteria in the bloodstream, which can occur as a result of surgery or as a result of very vigorous tooth brushing, for example.
The presence of bacteria in the blood does not lead to the onset of symptoms, however, as blood is one of the main routes of spread of bacteria, the microorganism can travel to different parts of the body and cause a widespread infection, also called septic shock…Understand what it is and what the symptoms of septic shock are.
- The treatment of bacteremia is done with antibiotics depending on the species of the bacteria and its sensitivity profile.
- Which is provided by the antibiotic.
- Antibiotic use should be done in accordance with your doctor’s recommendations to prevent the appearance of resistant bacteria and possible complications.
- Learn how to take antibiotics correctly.
The presence of bacteria in the bloodstream is usually asymptomatic, however, when the immune system responds due to the presence of the body, there are symptoms that may be characteristic of sepsis or even septic shock, such as:
These symptoms occur because bacteria are active in other areas of the body, such as artificial organs or materials in the body, such as catheters or prosthetics.Learn more about sepsis.
Bacteremia is diagnosed in the laboratory using a complete blood formula, which shows reduced leukocyte values and suggestive alterations of infection, and a blood culture is performed, which is the microbiological examination during which blood is grown in the laboratory in an appropriate time.container and under ideal temperature conditions. Blood samples for blood culture should be performed by an experienced professional, as it is very easy to contaminate the collected material with bacteria present in the skin, which may indicate a false positive result.
When the blood culture is positive and the microorganism is identified, bacteria are isolated so that the antibiotic can be performed to check which antibiotics the microorganism is sensitive or resistant to, indicating the best drug to treat bacteremia.Understand how the antibiotic is made.
In addition to blood culture, your doctor may order a urine test, urine culture, sputum evaluation, and wound discharge culture, for example.
Bacteremia can be caused by everyday situations, such as brushing your teeth too vigorously, which can cause bacteria from the oral cavity to enter the bloodstream, or due to surgical or dental procedures.
In addition, bacteremia may result from another infection or may be due to the use of unil sterilized objects, such as drug addicts, for example.