Bacterial Infections

Bacteria are living things that have only one cell. Under a microscope, they look like balls, rods or spirals. They are so small that a line of 1,000 could fit across a pencil eraser. Most bacteria won't hurt you - less than 1 percent makes people sick. Many are helpful. Some bacteria help to digest food, destroy disease-causing cells and give the body needed vitamins. Bacteria are also used in making healthy foods like yogurt and cheese.

But infectious bacteria can make you ill. They reproduce quickly in your body. Many give off chemicals called toxins, which can damage tissue and make you sick. Examples of bacteria that cause infections include Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and E. coli.

Antibiotics are the usual treatment. When you take antibiotics, follow the directions carefully. Each time you take antibiotics, you increase the chances that bacteria in your body will learn to resist them. Later, you could get or spread an infection that those antibiotics cannot cure.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

External Resources

Tri-M Enterprises - Skinners salve for sinus congestion and inflammation caused by colds, allergies, or bacterial infections.

Institute of Infections and Immunity - Research establishment in the University of Nottingham, UK. Aims to understand the molecular lifestyle of bacterial pathogens by applying molecular genetics to characterise virulence factors, and to gain insights into their regulation and interaction with host cells and tissues.

Medical Microbiology: Neal Chamberlain's Microbial World - Contains lecture notes in infectious diseases, immunology and microbiology, a bacterial unknown lab manual, computerized clinical cases, a most common causes of infections file, test files, a clinical cases links page, and a photo gallery of pathogenic bacteria.

PhPlate - PhPlate produces and markets products for typing of bacteria, the PhenePlate technology, and reagents for diagnostics of certain bacterial infections, and a software for evaluation of the tests.

RiboTargets Ltd - Research and development of therapeutics to treat patients with bacterial infections and patients with cancer.

Center for Drug Chemistry - Russian research Center aimed at creation of original medicinal preparations for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular, nervous and mental diseases and viral, bacterial and fungus infections.

Mpex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - Specializes in combining inhibitors of bacterial resistance with proven antibiotics to treat serious infections. Based in San Diego, California.

Chiron Vaccines International - Offers prophylactic products, and researches novel treatments for bacterial and viral infections. Includes projects, pipeline, news, global links and contacts for manufacturer in Marburg, Germany.

eMedicine - Staphylococcal Meningitis - Dr. Lawrence Zumo reports on this form of bacterial meningitis infection often linked to neurosurgery, trauma, and compromised immune system.

E-Medicine - Article about bacterial pneumonia, which is caused by a pathogenic infection of the lungs.

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