Question 1

if streptococcus mutans was found in the blood of a person with bacteremia, how would you determine the cause?

Accepted Answer

Cause of what?: I do not understand your question. The cause of bacteremia is Strep Mutans unless something else comes up. Strep Mutans is found in many different places, but very commonly in the (human) mouth. You can't get rid of it entirely. It causes tooth decay. It can get into the bloodstream from dental cleaning, aggressive flossing/brushing, or small cracks on the lips or tongues (sometimes unnoticeable).

Question 2

treated for bacteremia, after first week on meds, blood culture was negative. done with 2nd week of meds, is infection likely gone now?

Accepted Answer

Bacteremia: More information is needed to accurately answer your question. Treatment duration of bacteremias usually depends on the type, the cause or origin of the  bacteremia. Most are usually treated for 2 weeks from the last negative blood culture some may requires 4 weeks or even longer.

Question 3

had bacteremia (sinuses), but lots of people have sinus problems that don't end up in the blood, why couldn't my body keep it from going into blood?

Accepted Answer

No way to know here: In the limited amount of space we have, there' no way to know for sure. Consider HealthTap Prime or talking to your doctor to go over details. Immune system problems, frequent infections, surgery, some other anatomical problem (some are born without a sinus!) could do it. But in general, you're chasing your tail trying to figure it out. Importn thing is u got treated. Hopefully, you're healthy now

Question 4

when i had bacteremia, the blood cultures also showed my blood volume was low. did the infection itself affect the volume? confused

Accepted Answer

Quite confusing...: Blood culture tests provide no information on whether a patient's blood volume is high, low, or normal. When it happens, low blood volume is reflected in a patient's symptoms and the course of her illness. Her various blood test results (not the blood culture) can suggest that blood volume was recently lowered due to her symptoms, but there is not a simple "blood volume lab test".

Question 5

had pneumococcal bacteremia. was told it was likely from my sinuses but help- im still confused as to how it got into blood when i had no symptoms?

Accepted Answer

Bacteria are everywh: Pneumococcal bacteria live everywhere in the aerodigestive tract, but predominantly in the upper airways. There's no way you can get rid of them. Most of the time, they cause no problems as your body can fight them off from invading; however, sometimes, somehow a few out of the billions of bacteria slipped into your bloodstream. Sinuses, throat, even stomach (with food) or nosebleeds can do it.

Question 6

if most sinus infections are viral vs. bacterial and can clear on their own- then how did my sinuses cause bacteremia for me? must've been bacterial?

Accepted Answer

Correct: If an infected sinus indeed was the source of your bactermia, then then you had bacterial sinusitits. Your own question acknowledges that &quot;most&quot; sinus infections are viral, or at least start that way. But bacterial sinusitis isn&#x27;t rare, either initially or as a secondary infection that started as viral; or as a complication of allergic rhinitis with sinus blockage.

Question 7

saline breast implants few yrs ago, never any problems.recently had bacteremia- strep pneumoniae/sinuses, but could implants cause that germ in blood?

Accepted Answer

No unless: it is infected.  If you have no pain, tenderness, or induration of the area, it is not likely that it became infected.  Consult with your plastic surgeon just to be sure.

Question 8

in the results from a blood test, not urine, there was bacteria rare. what does that mean?

Accepted Answer

: Bacteria in blood, rare or not, is a very abnormal finding and it is called bacteremia, a life threatening condition. I ain't sure if you get the report correctly because lab usually does not report rare bacteria with blood culture and it is extremely rare to see a lab report which shows rare bacteria in blood smear but it is possible and if it's true this patient has severe bacteremia. Take care.

Question 9

doctor said my blood has bacteria what does it mean?

Accepted Answer

Septicemia: This will depend upon the organism isolated from the blood cultures and your symptomatic clinical appearance.  Generally you will have some focus of infection spilling bacteria into the blood, or the infection is involving some portion of the circulatory system,  like endocarditis or endarteritis. You need to ask your doctor what this means in your case.  Good luck.

Question 10

what could bacteria and blood in urine mean?

Accepted Answer

Bacteremia: We all have bacteria in our blood transiently, and our immune systems eliminate these. If these cultures are positive in the setting of other evidence of infection it may be that they are the cause of the infection.  The same thing is true of bacteria in the urine (bacteriuria), but this can often happen without infection, particularly in women.

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Doctor answers about:

What does bacteria in the blood mean

A member asked:

If streptococcus mutans was found in the blood of a person with bacteremia, how would you determine the cause?

A member asked:

Treated for bacteremia, after first week on meds, blood culture was negative. done with 2nd week of meds, is infection likely gone now?

A member asked:

Had bacteremia (sinuses), but lots of people have sinus problems that don't end up in the blood, why couldn't my body keep it from going into blood?

A member asked:

When i had bacteremia, the blood cultures also showed my blood volume was low. did the infection itself affect the volume? confused

A member asked:

Had pneumococcal bacteremia. was told it was likely from my sinuses but help- im still confused as to how it got into blood when i had no symptoms?

A member asked:

If most sinus infections are viral vs. bacterial and can clear on their own- then how did my sinuses cause bacteremia for me? must've been bacterial?

A member asked:

Saline breast implants few yrs ago, never any problems.recently had bacteremia- strep pneumoniae/sinuses, but could implants cause that germ in blood?

A member asked:

In the results from a blood test, not urine, there was bacteria rare. what does that mean?

A member asked:

Doctor said my blood has bacteria what does it mean?

A member asked:

What could bacteria and blood in urine mean?

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