Bacteria and viruses are the basic principles of treatment. How to determine a viral or bacterial infection using a blood test

Colds (ARI): how to distinguish a viral infection from a bacterial one?

If a child has an acute respiratory infection, or more simply put, a cold, the question of whether the disease is caused by viruses or bacteria is a fundamental one. The fact is that pediatricians of the so-called “old school”, that is, those who graduated from the institute in the 1970-1980s, prefer to prescribe antibiotics for any rise in temperature. The motive for such appointments - “whatever happens” - does not stand up to criticism. On the one side, viruses that cause most acute respiratory infections are completely indifferent to antibiotics , with another - For some viral infections, prescribing antibiotics can lead to serious complications , next to which traditional complications from antibiotic therapy - intestinal dysbiosis and drug allergies - will seem like a problem for the first grade of high school.

There is only one way out of this situation, very effective, although quite labor-intensive - to assess both the child’s condition and the doctor’s prescriptions yourself. Yes, of course, even a local pediatrician, who is usually only scolded, is armed with a university diploma, not to mention the head of the pediatric department in the same district clinic, and even more so a candidate of sciences, to whom you take your child every six months for an appointment or cancellation of preventive vaccinations. However, none of these doctors, unlike you, have the physical ability to monitor your child daily and hourly.

Meanwhile, the data of such observation in medical language is called anamnesis, and it is on them that doctors base the so-called primary diagnosis. Everything else - examination, tests and x-rays - serves only to clarify the diagnosis that has actually already been made. So, not learning to really assess the condition of your own child, whom you see every day, is simply not good.

Let's try - you and I will definitely succeed.

In order to distinguish an acute respiratory infection caused by viruses from the same acute respiratory infection, but caused by bacteria, you and I will only need minimal knowledge of how these diseases proceed. It will also be very useful to know how often per year the child has been sick recently, who is sick and what in the children’s group, and, perhaps, how your child behaved in the last five to seven days before getting sick. This is all.

Respiratory viral infections (ARVI)

There are not so many respiratory viral infections in nature - these are the well-known influenza, parainfluenza, adenovirus infection, respiratory syncytial infection and rhinovirus. Of course, thick medical manuals recommend doing very expensive and time-consuming tests to distinguish one infection from another, but each of them has its own “calling card”, by which it can be recognized at the patient’s bedside. However, you and I don’t need such deep knowledge - it is much more important to learn to distinguish the listed diseases from bacterial infections of the upper respiratory tract. All this is necessary so that your local doctor does not prescribe antibiotics for the wrong reasons or, God forbid, does not forget to prescribe them - if antibiotics are really needed.

Incubation period

All respiratory viral infections (hereinafter referred to as ARVI) have a very short incubation period - from 1 to 5 days. It is believed that this is the time during which the virus, having penetrated the body, is able to multiply to the amount that will definitely manifest itself as a cough, runny nose and fever. Therefore, if a child does get sick, you need to remember the last time he visited, for example, a children's group and how many children there looked sick. If less than five days have passed from this moment to the onset of the disease, this is an argument in favor of the viral nature of the disease. However, just one argument will not be enough for you and me.

Prodrome

After the end of the incubation period, the so-called prodrome begins - a period when the virus has already unfolded in all its power, and the child’s body, in particular his immune system, has not yet begun to adequately respond to the adversary.

You can suspect something is wrong already during this period: the child’s behavior changes dramatically. He (she) becomes capricious, more capricious than usual, lethargic or, conversely, unusually active, and a characteristic sparkle appears in the eyes. Children may complain of thirst: this is the beginning of viral rhinitis, and the discharge, while there is little of it, flows not through the nostrils, but into the nasopharynx, irritating the mucous membrane of the throat. If the child is less than a year old, the first thing that changes is sleep: the child either sleeps for an unusually long time or does not sleep at all.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO : It is during the prodromal period that all the antiviral drugs we are familiar with are most effective - from homeopathic oscillococcinum and EDAS to rimantadine (effective only during an influenza epidemic) and Viferon. Since all of the drugs listed either do not have side effects at all, or these effects appear to a minimal extent (as with rimantadine), they can be given already during this period. If the child is older than two years, ARVI may end before it even begins, and you may get away with a slight fright.

What NOT to do : You should not start treatment with antipyretic drugs (for example, with Efferalgan) or with advertised anti-cold drugs such as Coldrex or Fervex, which are essentially just a mixture of the same Efferalgan (paracetamol) with antiallergic drugs, flavored with a small amount of vitamin C. Such a cocktail is not only will blur the picture of the disease (we will still rely on the doctor’s competence), but will also prevent the child’s body from responding qualitatively to the viral infection.

Onset of the disease

As a rule, ARVI begins acutely and vividly: body temperature jumps to 38-39 ° C, chills, headache, and sometimes sore throat, cough and runny nose appear. However, these symptoms may not exist - the onset of a rare viral infection is marked by local symptoms. If, however, it does come to such a rise in temperature, you should expect that the illness will drag on for 5-7 days and still call a doctor. It is from this moment that you can begin traditional (paracetamol, drinking plenty of fluids, suprastin) treatment. But now you shouldn’t expect quick results from antiviral drugs: from now on, they can only contain the virus.

It is very important to remember that after 3-5 days, a child who has almost recovered can suddenly, as doctors say, deteriorate again. Viruses are also dangerous because they can bring with them a bacterial infection “on their tail” - with all the ensuing consequences.

Important! A virus that infects the upper respiratory tract always causes an allergic reaction, even if the child is not allergic. Moreover, at a high temperature, a child may have allergic reactions (in the form of, for example, urticaria) to usual food or drink. That is why during acute respiratory viral infections it is very important to have antiallergic drugs (suprastin, tavegil, claritin or zyrtec) on hand. By the way, rhinitis, which is manifested by nasal congestion and watery discharge, and conjunctivitis (shiny or reddened eyes in a sick child) are characteristic symptoms of a viral infection. With bacterial infection of the respiratory tract, both are extremely rare.

Bacterial respiratory tract infections

The choice of bacteria that cause infectious lesions of the upper (and lower - that is, bronchi and lungs) respiratory tract is somewhat richer than the choice of viruses. There are Corynbacteria, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella. And there are also the causative agents of whooping cough, meningococcus, pneumococcus, chlamydia (not those that venereologists enthusiastically study, but those transmitted by airborne droplets), mycoplasma and streptococcus. Let me make a reservation right away: the clinical manifestations of the vital activity of all these unpleasant microorganisms require doctors to immediately prescribe antibiotics - without timely antibiotic therapy, the consequences of bacterial damage to the respiratory tract can be completely catastrophic. So much so that it’s better not to even mention it. The main thing is to understand in time that antibiotics are really needed.

By the way, the company of dangerous or simply unpleasant bacteria that like to settle in the respiratory tract does not include Staphylococcus aureus. Yes, yes, the same one that is so enthusiastically removed from the upper respiratory tract, and then poisoned with antibiotics by some particularly advanced doctors. Staphylococcus aureus is a normal inhabitant of our skin; in the respiratory tract he is an accidental guest, and believe me, even without antibiotics he is very uncomfortable there. However, let's get back to bacterial infections.

Incubation period

The main difference between a bacterial respiratory tract infection and a viral one is a longer incubation period - from 2 to 14 days. True, in the case of a bacterial infection, it will be necessary to take into account not only and not so much the expected time of contact with patients (remember how it was in the case of ARVI?), but also the child’s overwork, stress, hypothermia, and finally, moments when the baby uncontrollably ate snow or got your feet wet. The fact is that some microorganisms (meningococci, pneumococci, moraxella, chlamydia, streptococci) can live in the respiratory tract for years without showing anything. The same stress and hypothermia, and even a viral infection, can cause them to lead an active life.

By the way, it is useless to take swabs for flora from the respiratory tract in order to take measures in advance. On standard media, which are most often used in laboratories, meningococci, streptococci and the already mentioned Staphylococcus aureus can grow. It is this that grows the fastest, choking, like a weed, the growth of microbes that are really worth looking for. By the way, the “track record” of chlamydia that is not sown in any way includes a quarter of all chronic tonsillitis, interstitial (very poorly diagnosed) pneumonia, and in addition reactive arthritis (because of them, in combination with chlamydial tonsillitis, a child can easily lose his tonsils).

Prodrome

Most often, bacterial infections have no visible prodromal period - the infection begins as a complication of acute respiratory viral infections (otitis caused by Haemophilus influenzae or pneumococci; sinusitis, originating from the same pneumococci or moraxella). And if ARVI begins as a general deterioration of the condition without any local manifestations (they appear later and not always), then bacterial infections always have a clear “point of application”.

Unfortunately, this is not only acute otitis media or sinusitis (sinusitis or ethmoiditis), which are relatively easy to cure. Streptococcal sore throat is far from harmless, although even without any treatment (except for soda rinses and hot milk, which no caring mother will fail to use) it disappears on its own in 5 days. The fact is that streptococcal tonsillitis is caused by the same beta-hemolytic streptococcus, which includes the already mentioned chronic tonsillitis, but they, unfortunately, can lead to rheumatism and acquired heart defects. (By the way, tonsillitis is also caused by chlamydia and viruses, for example adenovirus or the Epstein-Barr virus. True, neither one nor the other, unlike streptococcus, never leads to rheumatism. But we’ll talk about this a little later.) The said streptococcus after recovery from a sore throat, it does not disappear anywhere - it settles on the tonsils and behaves quite decently for quite a long time.

Streptococcal tonsillitis has the shortest incubation period among bacterial infections - 3-5 days. If there is no cough or runny nose with a sore throat, if the child still has a clear voice and no redness of the eyes, this is almost certainly streptococcal sore throat. In this case, if the doctor recommends antibiotics, it is better to agree - leaving beta-hemolytic streptococcus in the child’s body may be more expensive. Moreover, when it first enters the body, streptococcus is not yet hardened in the fight for its own survival and any contact with antibiotics is fatal for it. American doctors, who cannot take a step without various tests, have discovered that already on the second day of taking antibiotics for streptococcal sore throat, the evil streptococcus completely disappears from the body - at least until the next meeting.

In addition to streptococcal sore throat, complications from which may or may not occur, there are other infections, the results of which appear much faster and can lead to much more harmful consequences.

The microbe that causes seemingly harmless nasopharyngitis is called meningococcus for a reason - under favorable circumstances, meningococcus can cause purulent meningitis and sepsis after itself. By the way, the second most common causative agent of purulent meningitis is also, at first glance, a harmless hemophilus influenzae; however, most often it manifests itself with the same otitis media, sinusitis and bronchitis. Bronchitis and pneumonia, which are very similar to those caused by Haemophilus influenzae (usually arising as complications of acute respiratory viral infections), can also be caused by pneumococcus. The same pneumococcus causes sinusitis and otitis. And since both Haemophilus influenzae and pneumococcus are sensitive to the same antibiotics, doctors don’t really know which one is in front of them. In one and another case, you can get rid of the restless adversary with the help of the most common penicillin - long before the pneumococcus causes serious problems for the little patient in the form of pneumonia or meningitis.

Closing the hit parade of bacterial respiratory tract infections are chlamydia and mycoplasma - tiny microorganisms that, like viruses, can live only inside the cells of their victims. These microbes are not capable of causing either otitis or sinusitis. The hallmark of these infections is the so-called interstitial pneumonia in older children. Unfortunately, interstitial pneumonia differs from ordinary pneumonia only in that it cannot be detected either by listening or by tapping the lungs - only by x-ray. Because of this, doctors make the diagnosis of such pneumonia quite late - and, by the way, interstitial pneumonia is no better than any other. Fortunately, mycoplasmas and chlamydia are very sensitive to erythromycin and similar antibiotics, so pneumonia caused by them (if diagnosed) is very treatable.

Important! If your local pediatrician is not very competent, it is important to suspect interstitial chlamydial or mycoplasma pneumonia before he does - at least to hint to the doctor that you do not mind undergoing an X-ray examination of the lungs.

The main sign of chlamydial and mycoplasma infections is the age of the children who suffer from them. Interstitial chlamydial and mycoplasma pneumonia most often affects schoolchildren; the disease in a young child is very rare.

Other signs of interstitial pneumonia are a prolonged cough (sometimes with sputum) and severe complaints of intoxication and shortness of breath with, as medical textbooks put it, “very poor physical examination data.” Translated into normal Russian, this means that despite all your complaints, the doctor does not see or hear any problems.

Information about the onset of the disease can help a little - with chlamydial infection, everything begins with a rise in temperature, which is accompanied by nausea and headache. With a mycoplasma infection, there may be no temperature at all, but that same prolonged cough is accompanied by sputum. I have not found any clear symptoms of mycoplasma pneumonia in any Russian pediatric manual; But in the guide “Pediatrics according to Rudolph,” which, by the way, has been published in the United States for 21 years, it is recommended to apply pressure to the child’s sternum area (the middle of the chest) while breathing deeply. If this triggers a cough, then you are most likely dealing with interstitial pneumonia.

With the vast majority of bacterial infections of the respiratory tract, the situation can be extremely unpleasant, while it is very simple to prevent it or resolve it at the earliest stages - start treatment with antibiotics on time. Moreover, the possible consequences of using antibiotics - mild urticaria or intestinal dysbiosis - are eliminated much easier than purulent meningitis or pneumonia. So there is no need to be afraid of treatment with antibiotics - you just need to decide for yourself whether we are dealing with a bacterial or viral infection.

Important! Only a DOCTOR can select and prescribe antibiotics correctly (and not you, not your friends, or a pharmacist from a pharmacy). However, this article will help you evaluate whether your child has received adequate treatment. Which, you see, is very, very important.

Table. How to distinguish a viral infection from a bacterial one.

VIRUS or BACTERIA: how to tell?

So, let me remind you that there is a common name “ARD” that describes all infectious diseases of the respiratory tract. They have special cases - viral (ARVI) and bacterial.
I have already said that in the majority (~95%) the cause of acute respiratory infections is viruses, less often (~5%) - bacteria
The first symptom of ANY infection is fever. When the temperature rises, the doctor’s primary task is to exclude a bacterial infection (and not to lower the temperature, as parents seem to think).
The diagnosis is made by a DOCTOR based mainly on EXAMINATION. Other tests should be additional (blood and urine tests, x-rays, streptate tests, bacterial cultures from the lesion, etc.).
For respiratory viruses, the “favorite” cells are the cells of the respiratory tract: most acute respiratory viral infections proceed in approximately the same way. The most common symptoms of ARVI are: cough, runny nose, sneezing, fever, hoarseness, sore throat.
There are no exact signs to differentiate between a viral or bacterial infection, but there are some indirect signs.

What can speak in favor of the virus?

someone else in the house is sick
symptoms characteristic of ARVI are noted
after the temperature drops, the child feels well and is active (runs, plays, etc.)
the temperature is quite high (38C and above), rises sharply

What should alert you and can speak in favor of bacterial infections?

no one except the child got sick
severe intoxication (weakness, lethargy, drowsiness, refusal to eat and drink, photophobia) (influenza is an exception, with influenza intoxication will also be very pronounced)
there are some symptoms that are not characteristic of ARVI (this is assessed by the doctor when examining the child)
against the background of a decrease in temperature, the child continues to be weak
there are changes in the blood test characteristic of a bacterial infection
changes in the blood test are not always present, but in most cases. They are assessed by a doctor.

- Among the most common bacterial infections in children are: otitis media, lymphadenitis, abscesses, arthritis, pneumonia, in children >3 years old - also sinusitis (sinusitis, from 5 years old - sphenoiditis, from 7-8 years old - frontal sinusitis)

— These differences should be established by the DOCTOR during the first examination of the child

— The doctor makes a diagnosis that indicates the localization of the infectious process (only in 20% of cases the focus cannot be identified).

1️. The following diseases are usually associated with bacteria:

pyelonephritis
adenoiditis
skin and soft tissue infection
less often: meningitis, osteomyelitis, arthritis, etc.

2️. The most common causes of viruses are:

bronchitis and bronchiolitis
rhinitis and nasopharyngitis
false croup
gastroenteritis

PLEASE NOTE: BOTH VIRUSES AND BACTERIA can be caused by:

pharyngitis, tonsillitis, pneumonia, otitis media, sinusitis, stomatitis, lyphadenitis and other diseases
There are more than 200 viruses. For a doctor or parent, it does not matter which virus causes the disease. Treatment exists only for the influenza virus, the herpes virus. For other viruses, the tactics are the same and there are no drugs that destroy the virus; therefore, there is no point in treating a “red throat”, runny nose, “cough”, etc. We can alleviate the symptoms of a child’s illness, but this will not affect the cause itself (the virus).
The likelihood of developing bacterial infections is reduced by hardening, other restorative procedures, as well as vaccination, first of all, against pneumococcus, Haemophilus influenzae, influenza, meningococcus, and other vaccines included in the national calendar.
If a bacterial infection is confirmed, then taking an antibiotic is REQUIRED.

Take care of your children!

Candidate of Sciences and mother, pediatrician and neonatologist, Levadnaya Anna Viktorovna

There is no need to say that most infectious diseases are extremely severe. Moreover, viral infections are the most difficult to treat. And this despite the fact that the arsenal of antimicrobial agents is being replenished with more and more new agents. But, despite the achievements of modern pharmacology, true antiviral drugs have not yet been obtained. The difficulties lie in the structural features of viral particles.

These representatives of the vast and diverse kingdom of microorganisms are often mistakenly confused with each other. Meanwhile, bacteria and viruses are fundamentally different from each other. And in the same way, bacterial and viral infections differ from each other, as well as the principles of treating these infections. Although in fairness it is worth noting that at the dawn of the development of microbiology, when the “guilt” of microorganisms in the occurrence of many diseases was proven, all these microorganisms were called viruses. Literally translated from Latin, virus means I. Then, as scientific research progressed, bacteria and viruses were isolated as separate independent forms of microorganisms.

The main feature that distinguishes bacteria from viruses is their cellular structure. Bacteria are essentially single-celled organisms, while viruses have a non-cellular structure. Let us recall that a cell has a cell membrane with cytoplasm (the main substance), a nucleus and organelles located inside - specific intracellular structures that perform various functions in the synthesis, storage and release of certain substances. The nucleus contains DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) in the form of paired spirally twisted strands (chromosomes), in which genetic information is encoded. Based on DNA, RNA (ribonucleic acid) is synthesized, which, in turn, serves as a kind of matrix for the formation of protein. Thus, with the help of nucleic acids, DNA and RNA, hereditary information is transmitted and protein compounds are synthesized. And these compounds are strictly specific to each type of plant or animal.

True, some single-celled organisms, the most ancient in evolutionary terms, may not have a nucleus, the function of which is performed by a nucleus-like structure - the nucleoid. Such non-nucleated unicellular organisms are called prokaryota. It has been established that many types of bacteria are prokaryotes. And some bacteria can exist without a membrane - the so-called. L-shape. In general, bacteria are represented by many types, between which there are transitional forms. By appearance There are bacteria-rods (or bacilli), curved (vibrios), spherical (cocci). Clusters of cocci may look like a chain (streptococcus) or a bunch of grapes (staphylococcus). Bacteria grow well on carbohydrate and protein nutrient media in vitro (in vitro). And with the correct method of seeding and fixation with certain dyes, they are clearly visible under a microscope.

Viruses

They are not cells, and unlike bacteria, their structure is quite primitive. Although, perhaps, this primitiveness determines virulence - the ability of viruses to penetrate tissue cells and cause pathological changes in them. And the size of the virus is negligible - hundreds of times smaller than bacteria. Therefore, it can only be seen using an electron microscope. Structurally, the virus is 1 or 2 molecules of DNA or RNA. On this basis, viruses are divided into DNA-containing and RNA-containing. As can be seen from this, a viral particle (virion) can easily do without DNA. A DNA or RNA molecule is surrounded by a capsid, a protein shell. This is the entire structure of the virion.

When approaching a cell, viruses attach to its shell, destroying it. Then, through the resulting envelope defect, the virion injects a strand of DNA or RNA into the cell cytoplasm. That's all. After this, viral DNA begins to reproduce many times inside the cell. And each new viral DNA is, in fact, a new virus. After all, the protein inside the cell is synthesized not by the cell, but by the virus. When a cell dies, many virions emerge from it. Each of them, in turn, searches for a host cell. And so on, in geometric progression.

Viruses are present everywhere and everywhere, in places with any climate. There is not a single species of plant or animal that is not susceptible to their invasion. It is believed that viruses were the very first life forms. And if life on Earth ends, then the very last elements of life will also be viruses. It should be noted that each type of virus infects only a certain type of cell. This property is called tropism. For example, encephalitis viruses are tropic to brain tissue, HIV is tropic to the cells of the human immune system, and the hepatitis virus is tropic to liver cells.

Basic principles of treatment of bacterial and viral infections

All microorganisms, bacteria, and viruses are prone to mutation - changing their structure and genetic properties under the influence of external factors, which can be heat, cold, humidity, chemicals, ionizing radiation. Mutations are also caused by antimicrobial drugs. In this case, the mutated microbe becomes immune to the action of antimicrobial drugs. It is this factor that underlies resistance - the resistance of bacteria to the action of antibiotics.

The euphoria that took place several decades ago after penicillin was obtained from mold has long since subsided. And penicillin itself has long retired, having passed the baton in the fight against infection to other, younger and stronger antibiotics. The effect of antibiotics on bacterial cells can be different. Some drugs destroy the bacterial membrane, others inhibit the synthesis of microbial DNA and RNA, and others uncouple the course of complex enzymatic reactions in the bacterial cell. In this regard, antibiotics can have a bactericidal (destroy bacteria) or bacteriostatic (inhibit their growth and suppress reproduction) effect. Of course, the bactericidal effect is more effective than the bacteriostatic one.

What about viruses? On them, as on non-cellular structures, Antibiotics don't work at all!

Then why are antibiotics prescribed for ARVI?

Maybe these are illiterate doctors?

No, the point here is not at all about the professionalism of doctors. The bottom line is that almost any viral infection depletes and suppresses the immune system. As a result, the body becomes susceptible not only to bacteria, but also to viruses. Antibiotics are prescribed as a preventive measure against bacterial infection, which often occurs as a complication of ARVI.

It is noteworthy that viruses mutate much faster than bacteria. This may be due to the fact that there are no true antiviral drugs that can destroy viruses.

But what about Interferon, Acyclovir, Remantadine, and other antiviral drugs? Many of these drugs activate the immune system, and thereby prevent the intracellular penetration of the virion and contribute to its destruction. But a virus that has penetrated a cell is invincible. This largely determines the persistence (hidden asymptomatic course) of many viral infections.

An example is herpes, or more precisely, one of its types, herpes labialis - labial herpes. The fact is that external manifestations in the form of bubbles on the lips are just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, the herpes virus (a distant relative of the smallpox virus) is located in the brain tissue, and penetrates the mucous membrane of the lips through the nerve endings in the presence of provoking factors - mainly hypothermia. The above-mentioned Acyclovir is able to eliminate only the external manifestations of herpes. But the virus itself, once “buried” in the brain tissue, remains there until the end of a person’s life. A similar mechanism is observed in some viral hepatitis and HIV. This explains the difficulties in obtaining medications for the full treatment of these diseases.

But there must be a cure; viral diseases cannot be invincible. After all, humanity was able to overcome the threat of the Middle Ages - smallpox.

Without a doubt, such a medicine will be obtained. More precisely, it already exists. His name is human immunity.

Only our immune system can curb the virus. According to clinical observations, the severity of HIV infection has noticeably decreased over 30 years. And if this continues, then in a few decades the frequency of transition of HIV infection to AIDS and subsequent mortality will be high, but not 100%. And then this infection will probably be something like an ordinary, quickly passing disease. But then, most likely, a new dangerous virus will appear, like today’s Ebola virus. After all, the struggle between Man and the Virus, as between the macrocosm and the microcosm, will continue as long as Life exists.

We try to provide the most relevant and useful information for you and your health.

How often do doctors diagnose a viral infection, and then scare them: “Get treatment so that a bacterial infection doesn’t join in, you’ll have to change your prescription.”

We nod understandingly, and then, as a rule, after the doctor has left, we wonder how we will know that the time has come - when the insidious virus has also “brought” a bacterial infection with it.

Let's figure out the difference between a viral infection and a bacterial one. It will help us adequately evaluate the doctor’s prescription, promptly respond to changes in the child’s condition and, of course, get sick less.

So, let's get to know the enemy by sight.

Viral infection

There are several options for virus infection. They can be transmitted airborne, oral, hematogenous (through the blood), nutritional (through the gastrointestinal tract), contact and sexual routes.

In the human body, they actively multiply and spread throughout the body through our blood and lymph.

Bacterial infection

Bacteria can multiply even on artificial nutrient media. They are transmitted contact, nutritional or airborne, fecal-oral route. In addition, bacteria enter the human body after being bitten by insects (this route is called transmissible) or animals, through the mucous membrane.

Bacteria actively multiply, but the infection manifests itself in different ways, depending on the location of its outbreak.

The mainstay of treatment for viruses is antiviral drugs, and bacterial infections are treated with antibiotics

What is the difference between viral and bacterial infections

Both infections are unpleasant and quite insidious. Their main differences :

The virus affects the entire body. It is difficult to say which organ is affected; general symptoms are observed. And bacterial more often acts in a localized manner. It manifests itself, etc.
The incubation period for a viral infection lasts 1-5 days, and for a bacterial infection it lasts 2-12 days.
A viral infection manifests itself quite sharply, the temperature can jump to 39 degrees or higher, the child is weakened, and intoxication of the body is observed. A bacterial infection begins with more severe symptoms and a temperature of up to 38 degrees.

Often the disease begins with a viral infection, and after a few days (usually after 3-4) a bacterial infection joins it. This is due to the fact that viruses suppress the immune system and the body is weakened. That is why, if a child does not fall on the fourth day, it is necessary call the doctor again - to correct treatment.

After all, a bacterial infection is treated differently: the basis for treating viruses is antiviral drugs, and a bacterial infection is treated with antibiotics.

In addition to the overall picture, it wouldn’t hurt to take the test. With a bacterial infection, the number of white blood cells is increased (often due to neutrophils). That is, a change in the leukocyte formula occurs: the number of band neutrophils in the blood increases, young forms appear - metamyelocytes (young) and myelocytes. In addition, with a bacterial infection, a jump in ESR is observed.