Short Textbook of Medical Microbiology, Essay Example

What is the etiologic (causative) agent of the disease/disorder?

According to the description given, the etiologic agent responsible for the disorder is known as Staphylococcus aureus. Microscopic examination for S. aureus exhibits gram positive coccus that appears in groups (in clusters) and the colonies show golden yellow coloration when plated. S. aureus is the most common cause of skin infections like boils mostly occurring to individuals with impaired immune system (Gupte, 2009).

What is the route of infection?

There are several possible routes of infection for the disease. However, the main route of infection is by human contact where transmission is effected through the skin. Human beings happen to be the main reservoir for S. aureus and the agent finds places like the nose and the skin to be very suitable for colonization (Koneman, Schreckenberger and Winn, 2007). Under unhygienic conditions, the agent (S. aureus) is able to get transferred from one person to the next through bodily contact. The disease infection was aided by an environment that was heavily contaminated. Contact with another person suffering from boils is also a possible mode of infection. Another possible route of infection is ingestion of contaminated food. Food prepared under conditions that are not aseptic is susceptible to being contaminated by S. aureus which further gets into the body of an individual the moment he or she ingests the food (Koneman, Schreckenberger and Winn, 2007). While in the intestines, the S. aureus is able to multiply and cause disorders like boils in this particular case. General cleanliness including practicing of proper skin hygiene and following aseptic procedures such as hand washing will greatly reduce the possibility of getting infected with S. aureus (Koneman, Schreckenberger and Winn, 2007).

What is the appropriate treatment(s) for the disease/disorder?

Treatment measures for the disorder (in this case: boils) targets elimination of the causal agent which is the S. aureus. The use of penicillin happens to be the most common option for treatment of S. aureus. The challenge that has been faced with the use of penicillin is that, in most regions, S. aureus has become resistant (Gupte, 2009). An antibiotic known as penicillinase resistant ?-lactam has been used as first hand therapy for treatment of the disorder. In addition, much more effective results are obtained when the antibiotic for the therapy is used in combination with gentamicin. Such a combination may as well eliminate infections that are causing other more serious disorders. The only problem is that the combination has been thought to pose a high risk of kidney damage something that has elicited a lot of fear (Gupte, 2009). The severity of the infection and the place where the infection has occurred remain the main factors that determine the success or failure of the treatment.

Triple antibiotic ointment is a non-prescriptive ointment mostly applied on the skin to treat minor infections. Some antibiotics are also administered orally for mild infections on the skin. However, the presence of abscesses like in this particular case calls for surgical operation. The abscesses are surgically drained off the boil and an appropriate antibiotic therapy administered as described. Since S. aureus has continued to exhibit increased percentage of resistance to antibiotics mentioned, the only option remaining is to embrace measures that will control or prevent the possibility of infection as mentioned.

References

Gupte S. (2009). Short Textbook of Medical Microbiology (7th Edition). Jaypee Brothers Medical  Publishers (P) Ltd., New Delhi.

Koneman E. W., Schreckenberger P. C. and Winn Jr W. C. (2007). Color Atlasand Textbook of Diagnostic Microbiology (5th Edition). Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.