No antibiotic in EHEC

Therapy with EHEC infections: Under no circumstances administer antibiotic

24/05/2011

Although the EHEC pathogens (Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli) are a bacterium, doctors should never administer antibiotics to patients. The health situation of the patient could be significantly worsened by antibiotic administration, as Professor med. Thomas Schneider from the University Hospital Charité in Berlin medical circles warned.

On no case antibiotics in EHEC infections
Patients who are suspected of having become infected with the dangerous EHEC germ should under no circumstances be given an antibiotic. „This can make the situation worse“, warned dr. Schneider, an expert in infectious diseases at the renowned University Hospital Charité. „If the bacteria decay by the antibiotic on a large scale, more toxins are released from the bacteria“, explained the physician to the news agency „dpa“. In such a case, serious complications such as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) may occur. This means acute anemia and kidney damage. The poisons attack the intestinal mucosa and destroy the red blood cells, which in turn severely damages the kidneys. Such damage can lead to acute renal failure in severe cases. If such a complication occurs, the patient immediately needs dialysis (blood washing). Otherwise, the disease is fatal.

Regulate a lot of fluid and salt loss
As with all diarrheal diseases, it is important to drink plenty of fluids to prevent internal dehydration. In addition, the additional administration of salt is important to compensate for the salt loss. In addition to the expert also recommends the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) urgently from the administration of antibiotic drugs. Antibiotic resistance forms rapidly, germination is prolonged, and toxin production worsens the condition of the patient.

The main symptoms of the bacterial disease are nausea, vomiting, acute abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea and fever. Anyone who has been suffering from diarrhea for several days should definitely visit a doctor or, at the very least, immediately go to the emergency medical clinic. "If you have the worst form, do not come to the clinic too late and everything runs smoothly, you can usually do that quite well." Long-term effects are not usually to be expected, unless the kidneys have been damaged before the onset of the infectious disease. (Sb)

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Picture: Gerd Altmann