Haemophilus Influenzae Research Paper

Haemophilus influenzae is a nasty bacteria that is responsible for many severe infections. It is the cause of invasive and non-invasive diseases, primarily within children five years of age or younger, that can lead to severe complications or death. However, its prevalence worldwide has diminished greatly due to the use of vaccines and antibiotics that are used to prevent and treat this disease.
According to Devarajan, (2014, p. 1 of 3), "Haemophilus influenzae is a small, pleomorphic, gram-negative coccobacillus. It is a non-motile, non-spore-forming, fastidious, facultative anaerobe." This bacteria has six different strains which may or may not have a polysaccharide capsule. Each one of these is serotyped (a-f) based on their different …show more content…
Signs and symptoms include a fever, cough, shortness of breath and chest pain that gets better or worse with breathing. The fever associated with pneumonia can have the opposite effect in the elderly by lowering their body temperature to below normal ranges. Along with those it may also present with chills, muscle pain and sweating. Death can occur when the windpipe becomes swollen not allowing the individual to breathe. When the bacteria infect the blood, it will cause bacteremia, which presents with many of the same symptoms associated with pneumonia such as fever, chills and shortness of breath. Bacteremia can also cause abdominal pain with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. It can also cause the individual to have an altered mental status that causes confusion. When these bacteria reach the meninges it causes meningitis, which affects the covering of the brain and the spinal accord. This can cause seizures and swelling of the tissues around the brain. Signs and symptoms are similar to the previously mentioned infections such as fever, nausea and vomiting. The patient may also present with a headache, stiff neck, and have increased …show more content…
Only when the bacteria enter body parts that are normally germ free does it cause disease, these are known as invasive. Complications that stem from these infections vary and depend on what part of the body has been affected. When haemophilus influenzae infect the meninges, it causes meningitis which is an inflammation of the covering of the brain. This could cause the person to experience some hearing loss and in worse case scenarios brain damage. When the infection spreads throughout the body and causes disease in the blood its called bacteremia, if left untreated can cause loss of limb or limbs. It's very important to treat haemophilus influenzae promptly because many of the infections it causes can lead to death. When the disease is non-invasive, meaning it hasn’t infected a germ free part of the body; complications are unlikely, mild and are usually treated with