Staphylococcal pneumonia is pneumonia that is specifically caused by the staphylococcus aureus bacterium. Pneumonia is caused by an infection like S. aureus that irritates the tiny sacs at the base of the lungs. These sacs are called alveoli, and they are responsible for passing oxygen into the blood in exchange for carbon dioxide that can be breathed out of the body. When someone contracts pneumonia, the alveoli fill with fluid, causing chills, fever, a cough, and difficulty breathing. Pneumonia due to S. aureus often happens as a complication of measles.
The symptoms of pneumonia can be classified as general, or whole-body symptoms, breathing-related (respiratory) symptoms, or symptoms of the digestive tract.
General symptoms include:
Respiratory symptoms include:
Digestive tract symptoms:
The cause is infection with S. aureus, a prevalent bacterium that often lives on human skin and in the nostrils. It can become infectious and cause disease in at-risk populations.
Risk factors for contracting pneumonia due to S. aureus include being a young child or an elderly person, communal living, long stays in the hospital, and use of needles to take illicit drugs.
Your doctor will take a medical history and do a physical examination. If they suspect pneumonia caused by S. aureus based on their findings, they will order additional tests to make a definitive diagnosis. These can include blood tests, imaging scans, and analysis of the mucus in your lungs. Blood tests can confirm that you have an infection, but they may not be able to tell your doctor what is causing the infection. Imaging tests like a computerised tomography (CT) scan or an X-ray of the lungs can confirm that you have pneumonia. However, only a sample of mucus will show what bacteria is causing the pneumonia.
Blood testing, imaging tests, and mucus tests provide different and important information that will allow your doctor to make a definitive diagnosis.
Complications of pneumonia include:
Treatment for pneumonia caused by a S. aureus infection includes an antibiotic regimen to get rid of the S. aureus bacteria, lots of fluids, and medication to treat any cough, pain, or fever that you may be having. Patients having trouble breathing on their own can be admitted to the hospital and put on a ventilator.
Older patients, children, and anyone with a weak immune system may also be admitted to the hospital. Your doctor will prescribe antibiotics based on whether the S. aureus strain you have is resistant to a commonly used antibiotic, methicillin, or not. There are plenty of treatment options for S. aureus.
While it is not possible to completely prevent infection with S. aureus, there are some precautions you can take to avoid infection and pneumonia caused by infection. These include washing your hands often, taking care of any infections and cleaning any open wounds, keeping clothes, sheets, and towels clean, and keeping personal items like razors, toothbrushes, and other hygiene items to yourself.