Germs in the nose
Moisture and heat. In the nose there are optimal conditions for germs, which therefore mainly settle there. Bacteria such as staphylococci and rod-shaped bacteria belong to the normal skin or mucous membrane germs of the nose.
Other germs, such as the pathogen Haemophilus, also belong to the healthy nasal mucosa, but some genera of the germ are capable of causing meningitis. Haemophilus has the peculiarity of only growing in the presence of a specific germ (Staphylococcus aureus). Staphylococcus aureus causes wound infections and boils, but at the same time offers nutrients to Haemophilus, so that Haemophilus can grow in the first place.
This phenomenon is called “nurse phenomenon” because Staphylococcus aureus “takes care” of Haemophilus like a “nurse”. In addition, pneumococci, the pathogens causing pneumonia, are found in small numbers in the upper respiratory tract. Disease patterns caused by bacteria in the nose primarily affect the respiratory tract, as the microorganisms transmitted by droplet infection find their way into the nose when inhaled. In addition to laryngitis and pneumonia, rhinitis (caused by viruses) and influenza (also caused by viruses) play an important role. However, viral pathogens do not belong to the normal components of the human body.
Germs in the lungs
In the lungs, germs are able to cause great damage. Diseases resulting from this are often severe or even fatal. The most prominent examples of lung diseases caused by microorganisms are pneumonic plague and tuberculosis.
Yersinia pestis, rod bacteria that caused a plague epidemic in the Middle Ages, are pathogens spread by rodents. The disease plague is thus one of the diseases transmitted by animals (zoonoses). When ingested via droplet infection, pathogens enter the lungs via the respiratory tract, and the disease then manifests itself by coughing with bloody, highly infectious sputum.
Untreated, pulmonary plague is fatal in over 90% of cases. Nowadays, the disease has been almost eradicated by antibiotics, and people are rarely infected through contact with animals. In contrast to the plague, tuberculosis is caused by so-called mycobacteria.Under the influence of oxygen, these rod bacteria grow particularly well, so they are usually found in the respiratory tract and thus also in the lungs.
Symptoms of tuberculosis are easily confused with those of influenza. Patients often feel dull and exhausted, but have only a slightly raised temperature or almost no symptoms at all. After the symptoms of “primary tuberculosis” have subsided, there is a possibility that the pathogen may survive unnoticed in the body for years until “secondary tuberculosis” breaks out with haemoptysis.
In addition to the bacterial infections, fungal infections also develop in the lungs if corresponding germs reach them. Lung mycoses (lung fungus) often appear in farmers (especially in America), as they come into contact with the fungal spores while working in the field and inhale them. In the lungs, the fungal spores then cause pneumonia, respiratory problems (e.g.
coughing) and sometimes even spread to other organs (e.g. liver/milk). Treatment for fungal infections is given with agents that inhibit the growth of the fungus (antimycotics). The urogenital system (kidney, ureter, bladder) is responsible for returning water and salts to the body, but also for excreting the urine produced in the process.
Urine is a filtrate of the blood plasma, and is therefore similar to it in its composition. In itself, human urine contains no germs. If microorganisms are found in urine, this indicates a disease of the urinary tract, for example cystitis.
Triggering bacteria from the genera of Pseudomonas (rod bacteria) or Staphylococcus (usually cluster coccus) migrate via the urethra from the outside to the inside of the bladder and multiply there, leading to an inflammatory reaction. This is manifested by a burning sensation and pain when urinating as well as the feeling of an over-full bladder with a constant urge to urinate. Especially young, sexually active women are affected by cystitis, because during sexual intercourse the corresponding germs are carried over from the outer genital area as well as the rectal area into the urethra.
Women have a much shorter urethra (3-4 centimeters) than men (up to 25 centimeters), so the transmission distance is also much shorter. If a bladder infection is not treated, the bacteria causing it can also spread to the kidneys via the ureters and cause inflammation of the renal pelvis (pyelonephritis) with pain-sensitive kidneys. Particularly persistent urinary tract infections are caused by the bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli), since this rod bacterium multiplies quickly and under adverse conditions and treatment with antibiotics does not always work.
In general, germs that are present in the bladder and cause inflammation there are always excreted with the urine. The most important diagnostic measure in the case of a suspected urinary tract infection is therefore the examination of a urine sample that has been given. For this purpose, the middle stream of the morning urine is used, then a small amount of urine is applied to an incubation plate and incubated for a certain time in a warming cabinet. The physician then recognizes from the colonies that have grown on the plate which germs are present in the urine and which therapy must be used.
