E. coli lactose-negative: what is it and how to treat it?

For many people, the word "bacteria" means imminent evil. However, among these microscopic living forms there are different kinds. Some people always bring only diseases, so they are very dangerous. Others, on the contrary, do good, performing important for vital functions of people and animals functions. Representatives of the third group, which include bacteria E. coli lactose-negative, can be both useful and dangerous, therefore they are called conditionally pathogenic. Some patients, seeing in the results of their analyzes the presence of incomprehensible "E. Coli ", are very upset and rush to start treatment immediately. This is not advisable in all cases, since these bacteria should be present in the intestinal microflora, but their number should always be normal. As its excess, and a decrease causes the disease - dysbiosis.

What is E. coli?

To make it clear what will be discussed in the article, explain the name of microorganisms - E. coli lactose-negative. In other words, they are called Escherichia coli, because they live in the intestines of humans and some species of mammals. In Latin it sounds like Escherichia coli. The name "Escherichia" is given to microorganisms in honor of the scientist from Austria, Theodor Escherich, who first discovered them. The term "lactose" means that they reproduce well on lactose, that is, in dairy environments, and "negative" emphasizes their harmful activity for the human body. In the E. coli group, besides lactose-negative, enterohemorrhagic, enteroinvasive, enterotoxigenic and enteropathogenic E. coli are isolated. For health, any number of them in the intestine is dangerous.

The microscope lets you see how they look. E. coli lactose-negative and other Escherichia really resemble short rods with rounded ends. They are up to 0.8 μm in width, up to 3 μm in length. Sometimes these bacteria end with each other, forming chains. Outside their shell is covered with pilings - villi, which help the microbe to be fixed on the walls of the intestine and to be insensitive to many antibiotics. At the end of the Escherichia there is a flagellum, with which they quickly move. Therefore, hitting, for example, in the genitals, they are able to move into the kidneys, the prostate, the bladder.

Lactose-negative E. coli are facultative anaerobes, that is, oxygen is not needed for their vital activity, but their presence is easily tolerated.

These bacteria, like all the Escherichia, have many strains that differ among themselves by some external signs, a reaction to antibiotics, secreted toxins and other features.

Benefits of Escherichia coli

Some sources indicate that E. coli lactose-negative falls into the fetal calf in the womb, but most bacteriologists tend to believe that they colonize the intestines of the baby in the first two days after birth. In the stomach, E. coli is not delayed, because there is no suitable environment for them. Penetrating into the intestine, they attach to its walls, where they live all the time while their carrier lives. While they are 10 * 5 CFU / g (this is only 1% of all microorganisms in the intestines), they are doing a useful job:

• Produce vitamins B, lactate, succinic, formic, acetic and lactic acids, biotin, vitamin K;
• Process oxygen, than contribute to the vital activity of bifidobacteria, without which there can not be normal digestion of food;
• Do not allow many pathogenic bacteria to settle in the large intestine.

In other words, in certain quantities these bacteria are necessary. Some strains are even used as a probiotic and are purposefully injected into the intestine in certain diseases. Therefore, if the analysis showed their presence in the norm, then there is no pathology.

E. coli lactose-negative: proliferation. What it is?

In medicine, the term "proliferation" means the growth of tissues. Applied to bacteria is their excess growth. E. coli is normally colonized with the large intestine. When they proliferate, they migrate in large quantities to a thin one, causing dysbiosis in it. Intestinal sticks begin fermenting (fermenting) carbohydrates, which leads to the formation of methane, hydrogen and CO ₂ . In the patient because of this, bloating is observed. Also, fermentation produces fatty acids, which stimulate the formation of water in the intestine. As a result, a person begins diarrhea. The proliferation of microbes into the small intestine causes deconjugation and loss of fatty acids, which provokes gallstone disease.

If the bacteria multiplying too much through ulceration in the intestinal walls managed to penetrate the blood, they spread to many organs, causing various diseases such as meningitis, gastroenteritis, peritonitis, sepsis.

Dysbacteriosis in infants: causes and symptoms

In a normal state, infants in the intestine must have useful bacteria. If lactose-negative E. coli is increased, the baby can develop a dysbacteriosis. This is due to the low immunity in newborn babies and the inability of their body to control the number of bacteria. Symptoms of the disease:

• Bloating;
• flatulence;
• Frequent regurgitation, sometimes vomiting;
• Rumbling in the abdomen;
• Diarrhea (feces are watery, foamy, with a characteristic odor);
• Allergic dermatitis;
• Loss in weight.

In feces can be observed undigested food grains, mucus.

If the baby stools too often, dehydration is possible. His symptoms are:

• Rare urination;
• weakness;
• Dry lips, tongue.

In some cases, E. coli lactose-negative in the feces of the baby is increased, but the child is active, eats well, adds weight. It depends on the characteristics of his immune system.

In addition to the violation of the number of opportunistic E. coli, in the first days and weeks after birth, dysbacteriosis can begin because of entering the intestinal tract of the infant enteropathogenic E. coli. You can infect them with the mother's milk, through a dirty nipple, toys, medical instruments, poorly washed hands of mother or medical staff, an insufficiently processed bottle. In infants on artificial feeding, infection with pathogenic escherichia occurs if the milk mixtures are prepared with a violation of technology. In addition, the general symptoms of dysbacteriosis (diarrhea, vomiting, bloating) are added to the temperature and bloody streaks in the stool.

Diagnosis and treatment of dysbiosis in infants

If there is a suspicion of a disorder of the intestinal function in children, feces are taken for dysbiosis and coprogram. Collect the material for analysis better from the diaper, and not from the diaper.

If the tests showed that lactose-negative E. coli is elevated in the baby, but its condition is normal, treatment is not performed. In some cases, the doctor prescribes probiotics, such as Bifidumbacterin, and prebiotics such as Hilak-Forte, Dufalac.

If the condition of a child is severe before the year, it must be hospitalized. In the hospital, complex therapy is conducted, aimed at preventing dehydration (small children are placed droppers with rehydration solutions) and to reduce the indicators of E. coli.

If excessive proliferation of Escherichia coli is observed, and the child develops meningitis or other serious complications, the treatment is carried out with antibiotics.

In cases of detection in the feces of an infant of pathogenic E. coli, treatment is mandatory. It is carried out with antibiotics, rehydration solutions, probiotics and prebiotics.

Dysbacteriosis in children older than a year

It is believed that in infants older than 1 year, disruption of the bowel arises for the same reasons as in adults. E. coli lactose-negative increased in a child are in such cases:

• Very weak immunity;
• Long-term use of antibiotics, especially if treatment with these drugs is carried out at the initiative of the parents, and not according to the doctor's prescription.

Symptoms of dysbiosis in children older than the year are the same as those of infants:

• stomach ache;
• Liquid stool more than 2 times a day;
• Rumbling in the intestine;
• flatulence;
• Vomiting;
• General malaise.

In rare cases, dysbacteriosis is accompanied by constipation or alternating constipation and diarrhea.

The same instability of defecation is observed if E. coli lactose-negative decreased. If the analysis reveals the number of these bacteria below the norm, this may indicate the presence of worms.

In addition, in children older than one year, infection with dangerous intestinal wands is possible: enterotoxigenic (attached to the intestinal wall and secretes toxins that cause diarrhea), enteroinvasive (causes symptoms similar to shingles and dysentery), enterohemorrhagic (diarrhea with blood veins, Abdomen have a sharp cramping character).

Infection with these species of E. coli results in:

• The use in food of unwashed or seeded products, especially sour-milk products;
• Any physical contact with a sick child or adult (for example, a joint game, which causes outbreaks of dysbiosis often recorded in kindergartens and nurseries);
• The use of seeds infested with intestinal sticks (toys, utensils).

Diagnosis and treatment of dysbiosis in children

If the child has diarrhea and other symptoms of abnormalities of the digestive tract, it is necessary to pass tests:

• Coprogramme;
• Feces for dysbiosis.

Sometimes bakposev urine and vomit to carry out in the material of intestinal rods.

Enterohemorrhagic bacilli in the test results should be absent. E. coli lactose-negative in feces in children older than the year and adults should remain within 10 * 5 cfu / g. In general, all conditionally pathogenic E. coli should be from 10 * 7 to 10 * 8 CFU / g. If this indicator is reduced to 10 * 6 CFU / g, a grade I dysbacteriosis is diagnosed, and if it is increased to 10 * 9 cfu / g and above, grade II dysbiosis.

Treatment for increased lactose-negative E. coli is based on a strict diet. It includes cereals, cooked on water without oil, mucous soups (rice, oatmeal), boiled fish, vegetables, meat, as well as breadcrumbs, bread, black bread. To avoid dehydration, the child is given a frequent drink (pure water, teas with chamomile, yarrow), jelly, prepared from apples, black currant, compotes from dried fruits. With very frequent diarrhea, they are allowed to drink solutions of "Regidron", "Glucosolana" or prepare solutions from pure water independently, in which sugar, salt and soda are added in proportions of 2: 1: 1. Also, the complex of therapy includes enterosorbents "Polysorb", "Smecta".

If the dysbacteriosis is accompanied by a temperature of 38 ° C, antipyretic drugs are prescribed.

If the treatment does not bring results on the 4th day, the patient is prescribed antibiotics. Effective are "Ciprofloxacin", "Amoxicillin".

After recovery, patients necessarily drink the course of probiotics "Bifidumbacterin", "Linex", "Bifikol" and others.

Intestinal bacilli in women

If E. coli lactose-negative women are raised in stool, a grade II dysbacteriosis is diagnosed. Call it can:

• Severe diseases of any etiology, leading to a decrease in immunity;
• Uncontrolled or prolonged use of antibiotics.

Entering other pathogenic E. coli into the intestines is possible in such situations:

• The use of poor-quality water and food;
• Bodily contact (for example, handshake) with a bacterial carrier;
• Non-compliance with hygiene;
• Use of household items on which there are intestinal sticks (it should be noted that they are very tenacious in the external environment, they can last for a long time in soil, food and water).

In most cases, the disease passes without taking antibiotics. Methods of treatment:

• A rigid diet;
• Plentiful drink;
• Reception of enterosorbents.

It is much more dangerous if lactose-negative E. coli is found in the urine or in the vagina, because normally they should not be there. The bacteria get into an environment that is unusual for them if they have poor hygiene or lack of hygiene (without regular washing, intestinal sticks that leave the colon with calves remain on the body and penetrate the vagina), while wearing tight underwear, especially thongs, with unprotected sexual intercourse with the carrier Bacteria.

If E. coli is found in the vagina, lactosonegative, how to treat such a disease? And is it necessary to do this if the woman does not feel discomfort? Intestinal sticks, hitting the genitals, can move from there to the urethra, bladder, ovaries, uterus. They do not wash out urine streams and almost always cause inflammation, which without proper treatment passes into a chronic form. That is, the woman becomes the bearer of E. coli. In this case, obvious symptoms may be absent, only vaginal discharge with a characteristic unpleasant odor and some discomfort during sexual intercourse are observed. Overcooling, stress, poor nutrition, any disease can provoke the transition of a chronic form into an acute one, so if the analysis shows the presence of lactose-negative E. coli in the vagina, treatment is mandatory. The course of therapy includes taking antibiotics and restorative medications. In a month, you need to repeat the analysis. If a stick in the smear or in the urine is found again, a second course is prescribed, but with other antibiotics.

Intestinal sticks in pregnant women

As already noted above, E. coli lactose-negative (E. coli) is present in the digestive tract in all people, without causing any problems. In women during pregnancy, immunity is weakened, which often leads to the escape of the number of Escherichia beyond the norm. In this case, the woman herself can not feel discomfort, and the change in the microflora of her intestine is detected only by the results of the analyzes.

It is much worse when the pregnant woman has such symptoms of dysbiosis:

• diarrhea;
• Vomiting;
• constipation;
• heartburn;
• flatulence.

Frequent acts of defecation and vomiting lead to dehydration, which negatively affects the development of the baby in the womb. In addition, in the presence of too many bacteria, the organism becomes intoxicated with the pregnant products of their vital activity. Also, diarrhea is fraught with an increase in the tone of the uterus, which threatens premature birth. Constipation is unfavorable for all people (and especially for pregnant women) in that unnecessary substances in the stool are not removed from the body, but come back into the blood.

Treatment of lactose-negative E. coli in pregnant women is carried out according to the general scheme:

• strict diet;
• Reception of rehydrants;
• Drinking teas, kissels, decoctions of dried fruits;
• Reception of enterosorbents.

If E. coli is found in the urine or in a smear taken from the vagina of a pregnant woman, it is urgent to take action, since this is fraught with the development of colpitis, as well as infecting the baby during childbirth. Therefore, a pregnant woman must be prescribed a course of antibiotic treatment. "Amoxiclav" can be used at any time, "Cefotaxime" - only after the 27th week, "Cefipim" and "Ceftriaxone" - only after the 13th week, "Furagin" - only until the 38th week.

Intestinal bacilli in men

Lactose-negative E coli is increased in an adult male in feces? If the indicators differ from the norm - this indicates a dysbacteriosis. The causes of its occurrence, symptoms and methods of treatment are the same as for women. The ingestion of intestinal bacteria into the urethra of the male sexual organ causes urethritis, which can take place in an acute form (with severe pain when urinating) only one or two days, and then go on without treatment to a chronic one. Bacteria from the urethra migrate to the genital organs and provoke such diseases as prostatitis, orchitis (inflammation of the testicles), epididymitis (inflammation of the appendages of the testes). Transition from chronic to acute form of the disease will be with hypothermia, stress, any situations that lead to a decrease in immunity. Therefore, treatment (lactose-negative E. coli in the genitourinary organs of a man should not be!) Required. Conduct it according to the same pattern as in women.