Bacteria in the blood – how dangerous is that?

Introduction

The appearance of bacteria in the blood (bacteremia) is a common phenomenon and can occur as a result of harmless activities such as brushing your teeth. The mere detection of these bacteria is not a primary indication for treatment. A physical reaction of the immune system with simultaneous detection of bacteria or their toxins in the blood must be treated immediately.

This is a potentially life-threatening disease. If septic shock occurs, any delay before starting antibiotic therapy means a deterioration of the chances of survival by about eight percent per hour. Severe sepsis occurs when the pathogens or their toxins spread through the body and spread to organs.

In such a case, acute failure of at least one, sometimes vital, organ occurs. In addition to circulatory failure (generally “shock“), respiratory failure and renal insufficiency are the main causes. Septic shock occurs when not only one organ but several can no longer fulfil their function. The underlying cause is greatly reduced tissue perfusion. The kidneys, lungs and liver are particularly affected.

What symptoms do I have if I have bacteria in my blood?

Bacteria in the blood can cause a wide range of symptoms. This mainly depends on how many bacteria enter the blood and how long they stay there. A small amount of bacteria can get into the bloodstream even after brushing your teeth vigorously.

However, this does not normally cause noticeable symptoms. In addition, the bacteria are normally eliminated quickly by the body. If larger amounts of bacteria get into the bloodstream, this can make itself felt by feeling tired or ill.

However, the body can also react to a larger amount of bacteria in the blood with severe symptoms such as fever or severe circulatory problems. This is usually called sepsis. It is important to remember that in a healthy body, bacteria have difficulty entering the bloodstream.

Therefore, a local infection, such as gingivitis, must usually take precedence. This original infection will of course also cause symptoms. Sepsis with bacteria in the blood is not always clearly detectable in its early stages.

The symptoms, such as high fever, are initially unspecific. This means that the symptoms can also be associated with many other diseases. For example, high fever also occurs in the case of a flu-like infection or the flu.

Typically, it is a rapid deterioration of the general condition. Within a short time, the body temperature can rise to well over 38°C. In most cases, those affected also suffer from chills.

Other unspecific symptoms, in addition to the increase in fever, can include a high pulse and breathing rate, altered consciousness, undefined pain in various parts of the body and signs of inflammation at the site of the original infection. However, sepsis does not always occur in conjunction with high fever. In some patients, the body temperature drops below normal.

Bacteria in the blood can be associated with joint pain for several reasons. For example, bacteria can first infect a joint and then enter the bloodstream from this local inflammation. An infected joint is very painful, it can be red and swollen.

On the other hand, it is also possible that bacteria that are present in the blood may infect a joint. In this case, the bacteria in the blood first attack the joint and then the joint is affected. Borrelia bacteria can also attack joints.

This is called Lyme Arthritis. Mostly Borrelia bacteria reach the affected joints via the blood. It is not always necessary for bacteria to be directly in the joint to cause damage.

In so-called reactive arthritis, an inflammation of the joints occurs after a bacterial disease has been overcome. Typically, this happens after infections with gonococcus, also known as gonorrhea, chlamydia or after a gastrointestinal infection. In this case, it is not the pathogens that attack the joints, but the immune system. It is not clear why this happens. The pathogens can, but need not be detectable in the blood.