Among microorganisms, bacteria, pneumococci occupy a separate position. Pneumococci are naturally present in the human organism. Under various circumstances, pneumococci cause disease.
What are pneumococci?
The name pneumococcus is chosen because of their morphological shape. All bacteria that have a semmel-like spherical shape under the microscope belong to the so-called cocci. Furthermore, the addition pneumococci is appropriate because these bacteria mainly settle in the lungs. In medical circles, the term Streptococcus pneumoniae is often used. Within the pneumococci, more than 80 different species are known, which have a pathogenic significance. A distinctive differentiation of the individual types is possible by comparing the capsule-like envelope of the bacteria under the microscope. Pneumococci enter the human organism through various modes of transmission.
Significance and function
Basically, pneumococci, like a variety of other bacterial species, are permanently “resident” in some organ systems of the human body. In a healthy person, these are located in limited numbers in the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx and the adjacent respiratory tract. If, however, a health impairment or a weakening of the immune system leads to a proliferation of pneumococci, serious diseases may develop which can be life-threatening. Pneumococci are the triggers for the well-known pneumonia, which represents a particularly high health risk for small children and weakened elderly people. Pneumococci, as a subspecies of streptococci, are also considered to be the pathogenic germ for meningitis, the meningitis, and otitis media, the inner ear inflammation. Other diseases that can be caused by pneumococci include damage to the inner lining of the heart, inflammation of the peritoneum and of the joints. In this context, it is assumed that pneumococci are also significant in arthritis. Typical for the infection with pneumococci is the appearance of pus. Pneumococci are not dangerous in a healthy person, so they do not inevitably do not cause disease. Therefore, pneumococci are not directly considered to cause disease because the intact immune system prevents their unhindered reproduction. Although these bacteria are present in a mucosal swab from the nasopharynx, there is no cause for concern. Therefore, complete elimination of pneumococci is also not necessary. Person-to-person transmission of pneumococcus can be detected starting from both diseased and healthy individuals.
Diseases
If an illness occurs due to pneumococcus, the immune competence of the body is usually disturbed or insufficient. The bacteria are not adequately fought by the immune system and are opposed by the body’s own defense mechanisms. They can spread unhindered. This occurs quite frequently in people whose physical constitution is limited. This is the case due to age-specific conditions or an existing pre-existing disease. Infections with pneumococci are also possible under certain circumstances due to a deterioration of the immune function as a result of medical treatment such as chemotherapy or surgery. The time that elapses from the ingestion of the pathogens until the outbreak of the disease is referred to in medicine as incubation. In contrast to other bacteriocidal diseases, this varies considerably in pneumococcal disease. The incubation period depends essentially on the condition of the person. There is an enormously high risk in newborns and young children, as well as in the elderly. The immune system is either insufficiently developed or weakened in these groups. Another problem that arises with regard to the specific treatment of pneumococcal infections is often their so-called invasive spread in the body. In addition, pneumococci lead to localized diseases that are extremely painful and are usually characterized by a recurrent course. In adults, for example, pneumococci can contribute to bacteremia or blood poisoning, which affects the entire body.Pneumococci are also difficult to treat because a whole series of bacterial strains have become insensitive to antibiotics. There is habituation to the antibiotic agents in specific pneumococcal species, which makes therapy extremely difficult. This resistance is constantly increasing.
