Bacterial Infections

On this page

Summary

Bacteria are living things that have only one cell. Under a microscope, they look like balls, rods, or spirals. They are so small that a line of 1,000 could fit across a pencil eraser. Most types of don't make you sick. Many types are helpful. Some of them help to digest food, destroy disease-causing cells, and give the body needed vitamins. Bacteria are also used in making healthy foods like yogurt and cheese.

But infectious bacteria can make you ill. They reproduce quickly in your body. Many give off chemicals called toxins, which can damage tissue and make you sick. Examples of bacteria that cause infections include Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and E. coli.

Antibiotics are the usual treatment. When you take antibiotics, follow the directions carefully. Each time you take antibiotics, you increase the chances that bacteria in your body will learn to resist them causing antibiotic resistance. Later, you could get or spread an infection that those antibiotics cannot cure.

NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Start Here

Germs: Understand and Protect against Bacteria, Viruses, and Infections (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

Acid-Fast Bacillus (AFB) Tests (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Bacteria Culture Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Calprotectin Stool Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Gram Stain (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Immunofixation (IFE) Blood Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Immunoglobulins Blood Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
PCR Tests (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Procalcitonin Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Rapid Tests (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Respiratory Pathogens Panel (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Sputum Culture (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
White Blood Cell (WBC) in Stool (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

Germs and Hygiene: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Infection Control: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

Antibiotics: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

Antibiotic Resistance: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Bacterial vs. Viral Infections: How Do They Differ? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
How Infections Spread (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Probiotics: Usefulness and Safety (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
What Is Sepsis? (National Institute of General Medical Sciences)

Specifics

About Brucellosis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
About Elizabethkingia (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
About Leptospirosis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
About Necrotizing Fasciitis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
About Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
About Q Fever (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
About Vibrio Infection (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Anaerobic Infections (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
Necrotizing Skin Infections (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
Shigellosis (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
Trench Fever (VisualDX)
Yaws (World Health Organization) Also in Spanish

Images

Hot Tub Rash (Pseudomonas Folliculitis) (VisualDX)

Statistics and Research

Fighting Bacteria with Viruses (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
Science Snippet: Brush up on Biofilms (National Institute of General Medical Sciences)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Bacterial Infections (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Fasciitis, Necrotizing (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Find an Expert

Children

Blood Culture (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
Moraxella Catarrhalis: A Common Cause of Childhood Illnesses (American Academy of Pediatrics)
Shigella Infections (Shigellosis) (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
What Are Germs? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

Arcanobacterium Haemolyticum Infections (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
Why Should I Care about Germs? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Women

Vibrio and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

Actinomycosis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Bacterial vaginosis - aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Blood culture (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Gram stain (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Gram stain of skin lesion (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Necrotizing soft tissue infection (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish