Hemophilic rod is a gram-negative immobile bacterium, which was first described by the German bacteriologist Richard Pfeiffer in 1892. Initially, he defined it as a causative agent of the flu, but today it is known that this bacterium causes damage to the central nervous system, respiratory organs and promotes the formation of purulent foci in various organs. The most vulnerable to infection are children and adults with weak immunity. The bacterium affects only people.
When in 1933 scientists established that the virus is caused by viruses, and not bacteria, they revised the position of the hemophilic rod as the causative agent of the infection, and then it became reliably known that it is one of the bacteria that cause meningitis, pneumonia and epiglottitis.
Haemophilus influenzae - symptoms
The source of the hemophilic rod is a person. The bacterium settles on the upper respiratory tract, and it is interesting that 90% of people have it, and such a healthy carrier can last up to 2 months. Even if a person has specific antibodies in large quantities, or if he takes large doses of antibiotics, the hemophilic rod still remains on the mucosa, and does not spread under normal immunity.
Most often, the incidence of hemophilic infection is recorded at the end of winter and early spring, when the body is weakened.
In children, the hemophilic rod often promotes the development of meningitis, and in adults - pneumonia.
Very often the causative agent is present in the body for a long time asymptomatically. But with weakened immunity, hypothermia or due to an increase in the number of microbes and viruses in the body, the hemophilic rod promotes inflammation and diseases of various forms.
Especially likely the development of otitis, sinusitis, pneumonia and bronchitis in those who had contact with a person infected with a rod and from which it caused characteristic symptoms.
Hemophilus influenzae can cause inflammation of subcutaneous adipose tissue or affect joints. In rare cases, it contributes to the development of sepsis.
Those haemophilic rod strains that do not have a capsule affect only the mucous membrane and this does not lead to a serious disease.
Systemic diseases cause sticks with capsules: they penetrate into the blood by rupturing the intercellular connections and in the first few days after that do not cause symptoms. But when they penetrate into the central nervous system, they provoke a purulent inflammation of the meninges ( meningitis ).
Those who have suffered this disease, have a strong immunity to the hemophilic rod.
Treatment of Haemophilus influenzae
Before treating the hemophilic rod, you need to make sure that it is she, and not another kind of bacterium, since it is resistant to penicillin, unlike many other microbes. Confusion can arise if the hemophilic rod has contributed to pneumonia or other diseases that arise not only because of the presence of this bacterium.
If a hemophilic rod is found in the smear, it is worthwhile to conduct a course of antibiotic treatment, even if it does not cause any symptoms. After the treatment, an inoculation against the hemophilic rod is carried out.
With a hemophilic rod in throat, in addition to antibiotic therapy ampicillin (400-500 mg per day for 10 days) can
When the hemophilic rod in the nose is also used antibiotics in the complex with local treatment of the immunomodulating agent. Polyoxidonium droplets have such properties.
For prevention, a graft from a hemophilic rod is done 1 time.
To increase the effectiveness of treatment, American doctors recommend combining ampicillin and cephalosporins with levomitsetinom. Of modern antibiotics, azithromycin and amoxiclav are effective.