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Staphylococci
- Question
- Dear expert team,
my son (1 year, CF) has once more Staphylococci in the throat swab and has been treated with antibiotics for this several times.
My question is, where this germ can be found, as we do really have a look at the hygiene, I ask myself where he gets the germ all the time?
Or can it be that some humans are just more susceptible for it than others?
Many greetings, - Answer
- Hello,
unfortunately it is like this, that you can probably only hardly avoid Staphylococci. One assumes, that 15-40% of healthy people show a colonization with Staphylococci in the nose. Other have a colonization of skin folds without being ill. In case we talk about real sources from which Staphylococci really can spread, then these are abcesses and wounds. The most important route of infection even from healthy, asymptomatic carriers are contaminated hands, which does therefore put the hygiene of the hands in the focus of the daily hygiene. However there are also very resistant Staphylococci germs, which are transmitted even via the air or things. One has to see it probably like this, that we humans do live all the time with those germs and are exposed to them. Problematic it is only for persons, who are due to an illness more easily colonized or infected with Staphylococci. CF-patients do unfortunately belong to this group. In case it is not possible with the hygiene to reduce the colonization with Staphylococci, only the antibiotic therapy remains. Here we have several approaches. Some collegues favour a permanent therapy in the period of life in which your son is at the moment, others a therapy in case of the finding of the germ in the airways.
There are even approaches which favour an antibiotic therapy only if the patient who carries the germ shows additionally clinical symptoms. Unfortunately, there are no uniform guidelines on this topic and it remains a decision of your physicians in charge of your CF center together with you to find the best way of coping with this germ.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. O. Sommerburg - 05.11.2009
