Pyogenic Bacteria

Pyogenic bacteria are those bacteria that are involved in the formation of pus. Pus is the yellowish exudate. It is formed in the site of inflammation and abscess. It is also called pus and postule.

Examples:

Staphylococcus aureus., Streptococcus pyogenes

Characteristics of Pyogenic bacteria:

The characteristics of pyogenic bacteria are:

• When these bacteria fight with the immune system, they produce pus as a result.
• They release the toxin leukocidins that die neutrophils of the immune system and form the viscous pus.
• The color of pus depends on the pigmentation of bacteria. For example, pseudomonas produces green-foul smelling pus.
• They are either gram positive or gram negative bacteria.
• They are either aerobic or facultative aerobic bacteria.

Pyogenic diseases:

Pyogenic bacteria cause many diseases.

• Staphylococcus aureus is gram positive bacteria that produce pyogenic infection of the heart muscle and also cause endocarditis.
• Staphylococcus epidermidis is also gram positive bacteria. It also causes pyogenic infection of skin and epidermis tissue.
• Streptococcus pyogenes is gram positive bacteria that infection leads to the cause of hospital acquired pyogenic infection.
• Streptococcus pneumoniae cause pyogenic infection of lungs that leads to severe pneumonia.
• Escherichia coli are also pyogenic bacteria. It is gram negative bacteria that cause bacillus coli communis.
• Klebsiella pneumoniae is gram negative bacteria that cause pneumonia. This pneumonia is called Friedlander’s bacillus.
• Salmonella typhi is gram negative bacteria that cause intestinal infection. This infection is also called bacillus typhosus.
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa is gram negative bacteria that lead to the pyogenic infection of many systems. It may cause eye infection, throat infection.
• Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes TB. It is acid fast bacteria that cause serious infection of lungs.

Identification of pyogenic bacteria:

These bacteria are identified by:

1. These bacteria can be cultured on agar plates. Selective agar can be used for the culturing of bacteria. The colony morphology is different from bacteria to bacteria. This bacterial morphology is the differential characteristics of bacteria.
2. They can be identified by rapid diagnostic test. This may be ELISA, immunoassay etc.
3. These bacteria are also identified by molecular tools. Molecular tools includes polymerase chain reaction, gel electrophoresis.

Treatment of pyogenic infection:

The treatment includes antibiotics. These antibiotics are selected on the basis of the system affected. The antibiotics include β-lactams, polypeptides, azithromycin, tetracycline, streptogramins, sulfa-drugs, and macrolides antibiotics.

These antibiotics give bactericidal and bacteriostatic effect on the bacteria.