Symptoms of staphylococcal infection in children

Staphylococcal laryngitis and laryngotracheitis usually develop in children aged 1 to 3 years against the background of acute respiratory viral diseases.

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

Staphylococcal laryngotracheitis is often accompanied by obstructive bronchitis and often pneumonia. The clinical course of staphylococcal laryngotracheitis is practically no different from laryngotracheitis caused by other bacterial flora. There are significant differences only with diphtheria croup, which is characterized by slow development, gradual change of phases, parallel increase in symptoms (hoarseness and aphonia, dry, rough cough and gradual increase in stenosis).

Staphylococcal pneumonia is a special form of lung damage with a characteristic tendency to abscess formation. The disease most often occurs in young children and, as a rule, against the background of or after acute respiratory viral infections. Primary isolated staphylococcal pneumonia in children is rarely observed. More often, pneumonia becomes a secondary lung damage in other foci of staphylococcal infection or a metastatic focus in septicopyemia.

A characteristic feature of staphylococcal pneumonia is the formation of air cavities in the lungs at the site of primary foci - bullae (pneumocele). Most often, one or two cavities arise, but there may be more. The diameter of the cavities is from 1 to 5-10 cm. A high-pitched tympanic sound is detected over the lesion by percussion, and weakened or amphoric breathing is detected by auscultation.

Scarlet fever-like syndrome occurs with staphylococcal infection of the wound or burn surface, with osteomyelitis, phlegmon, lymphadenitis, and panaritium.

The disease manifests itself as a rash and resembles scarlet fever, but unlike scarlet fever, this syndrome always occurs against the background of some staphylococcal focus, accompanied by high body temperature, severe intoxication. The rash does not appear on the first day of the disease, as with scarlet fever, but after 2-3 days. Sometimes even 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 - angiocholitis, cholecystitis) and in severity.

• Staphylococcal stomatitis is manifested by severe hyperemia of the oral mucosa, the appearance of aphthae or ulcers on the mucous membrane of the cheeks, gums, tongue, and profuse salivation.
• Staphylococcal gastrointestinal diseases. Clinical manifestations largely depend on the route of infection.
  • When consuming food infected with staphylococcus, under the influence of enterotoxin in the stomach, and especially in the small intestine, acute inflammatory changes of varying severity occur. Enterotoxin, absorbed into the blood, has a powerful neurotoxic and capillary toxic effect, as a result of which a state of shock may develop.
  • In enteritis and enterocolitis caused by contact infection, a small amount of staphylococcus enters the body. The process develops more slowly, as a result of the predominant effect of staphylococcus itself and, to a lesser extent, enterotoxin. Reproducing in the intestine, staphylococci cause both local changes and general symptoms of intoxication due to the absorption of the toxin into the blood. Clinical manifestations in these cases will depend on the rate of staphylococcus reproduction in the intestine, the massiveness of the enterotoxin entering the blood, the state of the gastrointestinal tract, the perfection of the immune defense and many other factors.
• Gastritis and gastroenteritis (food poisoning). The incubation period is 2-5 hours. The disease begins acutely or even suddenly with repeated, often uncontrollable vomiting, severe weakness, dizziness, severe pain in the epigastric region, and an increase in body temperature in most patients. The patient is pale, the skin is covered in cold sweat, the pulse is weak, frequent, the heart sounds are muffled, and blood pressure is low. The abdomen is usually soft, painful in the epigastric region, the liver and spleen are not enlarged. The disease can manifest itself with symptoms of acute gastritis without bowel disorder, but in most children the small intestine is involved in the process with bowel disorder (gastroenteritis). The stool is loose, watery, with an admixture of mucus, 4-6 times a day. In severe cases, toxicosis with dehydration develops, sometimes convulsions and loss of consciousness are noted. The disease can be fatal.

In mild forms, the disease manifests itself as nausea, 2-3-fold vomiting, abdominal pain. Symptoms of intoxication are usually absent, or they are weakly expressed. The disease ends within 1-2 days with complete recovery. Clinical manifestations depend on whether the intestinal lesion by staphylococcus is primary or secondary. Primary staphylococcal enteritis and enterocolitis usually develop as a type of food toxic infection. Staphylococcal sepsis is the most severe manifestation of staphylococcal infection, more often in young children and mainly in newborns and premature babies.

The entry point for infection can be the umbilical wound, skin, gastrointestinal tract, lungs, tonsils, ears, etc. Depending on the entry point and routes of spread, there are umbilical, cutaneous, pulmonary, intestinal, otogenic, tonsillogenic sepsis, etc.

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