Bacteremia (redirected from Bacteræmia)

bacteremia: see septicemia.

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bacteremia

Presence of bacteria in the blood. Short-term bacteremia follows dental or surgical procedures, especially if local infection or very high-risk surgery releases bacteria from isolated sites. In some cases, prior antibiotic therapy can prevent this. It causes little problem to a healthy immune system but can be serious for those with prostheses (where infection can center) or high susceptibility to bacterial invasion. Extensive bacteremia can release toxins into the blood (septicemia), leading to shock and vascular collapse. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have increased the rate of severe bacteremia.

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bacteremia [′bak·tə′rē·mē·ə]

(medicine)

Presence of bacteria in the blood.

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Bacteremia 

the presence of bacteria in the blood. Bacteria enter the blood of man and animals through injuries of the skin and mucous membranes, and also when there are pathological changes in the lymph nodes, vascular system, and so on. Bacteremia accompanies many infectious diseases, such as leptospirosis, typhus, relapsing fever, and tularemia; it is especially characteristic of intestinal infections—typhoid, paratyphoid, and other salmonelloses; brucellosis, and others—in which it causes generalization of the pathologic process. Bacteremia is most intensely expressed during the acute (generalized) period of a disease. Bacteremia develops under the action of medium and large doses of ionizing radiation as a result of disruption of natural immunity. There is a decrease in the production of antibodies, a decrease in the number of leukocytes and of their phagocytic activity, and also changes in the permeability of tissue barriers and a number of other factors. Bacteremia is a characteristic complication of radiation sickness. As the organism overwhelms the disease (activation of the phagocytic function of the leukocytes, accumulation of antibodies, and so on), bacteremia decreases to the point of complete disappearance.