Symptoms of staphylococcal infection in children

Staphylococcal laryngitis and laryngotracheitis develop, as a rule, in children aged 1 to 3 years, on the background of acute respiratory viral diseases.

The development of the disease is acute, with a high body temperature and a rapid appearance of laryngeal stenosis. Morphologically, a necrotic or ulcerative necrotic process in the larynx and trachea is noted.

Staphylococcal laryngotracheitis is often accompanied by obstructive bronchitis and often pneumonia. The clinical course of staphylococcal laryngotracheitis practically does not differ from laryngotracheitis caused by another bacterial flora. Significant differences are only with diphtheria croup, which is characterized by slow development, gradual phase change, parallel increase in symptoms (hoarseness and aphonia, dry, rough cough and gradual increase of stenosis).

Staphylococcal pneumonia is a special form of lung damage with a characteristic tendency to abscess. The disease most often occurs in young children and, usually, in the background or after SARS. Primary isolated staphylococcal pneumonia in children is rarely seen. More often pneumonia becomes a secondary lung lesion in other foci of staphylococcal infection or a metastatic focus in septicopyemia.

The peculiarity of staphylococcal pneumonia is the formation of air cavities in the lungs at the place of primary foci - the bullet (pneumocele). More often there is one or two cavities, but there may be more. The diameter of the cavities is from 1 to 5-10 cm. A high tympanic sound, auscultatory - weakened or amphoric respiration is determined percutaneously over the lesion.

Scarlatin-like syndrome occurs with staphylococcal infection of a wound or burn surface, with osteomyelitis, phlegmon, lymphadenitis, panaritium.

The disease manifests as a rash and resembles scarlet fever, but unlike scarlet fever this syndrome always appears against the background of a staphylococcal focus, accompanied by a high body temperature, pronounced intoxication. The rash does not appear on the 1st day of the disease, as with scarlet fever, but in 2-3 days. Sometimes later.

Staphylococcal lesions of the digestive system are very diverse both in localization (mucous membranes of the mouth - stomatitis, stomach - gastritis, intestines - enteritis, colitis, biliary system - angiocholites, cholecystitis), and severity.

• Staphylococcal stomatitis is manifested by bright hyperemia of the oral mucosa, the appearance of aft or ulcers on the mucous membrane of the cheeks, gums, tongue, abundant salivation.
• Staphylococcal gastrointestinal diseases. Clinical manifestations largely depend on the pathway of infection.
  • With the use of food infected with staphylococcus under the influence of enterotoxin in the stomach, and especially in the small intestine, acute inflammatory changes of different severity occur. Enterotoxin, absorbed into the blood, has a powerful neurotoxic and capillarotoxic effect, resulting in the development of a shock state.
  • With enteritis and enterocolitis, which are caused by infection by a contact route, a small amount of staphylococcus enters the body. The process develops more slowly, as a result of the predominant effect of the staphylococcus itself and to a lesser degree of enterotoxin. Breeding in the intestine, staphylococci determine both local changes and general symptoms of intoxication due to the absorption of toxin into the blood. The clinical manifestations in these cases will depend on the rate of multiplication of staphylococcus in the intestine, the massive amount of enterotoxin entering the blood, the state of the gastrointestinal tract, the perfection of the immune defense, and many other factors.
• Gastritis and gastroenteritis (food toxicoinfection). The incubation period is 2-5 hours. The disease begins acutely or even suddenly with repeated, often indomitable vomiting, severe weakness, dizziness, severe pain in the epigastric region, and a rise in most body temperature. The patient is pale, the skin is covered with cold sweat, the pulse is weak, frequent, the heart sounds are muffled, blood pressure is reduced. The abdomen is usually mild, painful in the epigastric region, the liver and spleen are not enlarged. The disease can manifest itself as the symptoms of acute gastritis without a disorder of the stool, but in most children a small intestine with a stool disorder (gastroenteritis) is involved in the process. The stool is liquid, watery, with an admixture of mucus, 4-6 times a day. In severe cases, toxicosis develops with dehydration, sometimes cramps, loss of consciousness. The disease can end fatal.

In mild forms, the disease is manifested by nausea, 2-3-times vomiting, abdominal pain. Symptoms of intoxication are usually not present, or they are weakly expressed. The disease ends within 1-2 days of full recovery. Clinical manifestations depend on whether the primary lesion of the intestine is staphylococcus or secondary. Primary staphylococcal enteritis and enterocolitis usually develops according to the type of food poisoning. Staphylococcal sepsis is the most severe manifestation of staphylococcal infection, most often in young children and mainly in newborns and prematurity.

The entrance gates of infection can be umbilical wound, skin integuments, gastrointestinal tract, lungs, tonsils, ears, etc. Depending on the entrance gates and pathways, there are umbilical, skin, pulmonary, intestinal, otogennyi, tonzillogenic sepsis, etc.

[1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7]