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Treatment is often started without confirmation of infection because of the serious complications that may result from delayed treatment. Treatment depends on the infectious agent and generally involves the use of antibiotic therapy. If there is no improvement within two to three days, the patient is typically advised to seek further medical attention. Hospitalization sometimes becomes necessary if there are other complications. Treating sexual partners for possible STIs can help in treatment and prevention.
For women with PID of mild to moderate severity, parenteral and oral therapies appear to be effective. It does not matter to their short- or long-term outcome whether antibiotics are administered to them as inpatients or outpatients. Typical regimens include cefoxitin or cefotetan plus doxycycline, and clindamycin plus gentamicin. An alternative parenteral regimen is ampicillin/sulbactam plus doxycycline. Erythromycin-based medications can also be used. Another alternative is to use a parenteral regimen with ceftriaxone or cefoxitin plus doxycycline. Clinical experience guides decisions regarding transition from parenteral to oral therapy, which usually can be initiated within 24–48 hours of clinical improvement.
If tubal factor infertility is suspected to be the cause of the infertility treatment begins with or without confirmation of infection because of complications that may result from delayed treatment. Appropriate treatment depends on the infectious agent and utilizes antibiotic therapy. Treating the sexual partner for possible STIs helps in treatment and prevents reinfection.
Antibiotic administration affects the short or long-term major outcome of women with mild or moderate disease.
For women with infections of mild to moderate severity, parenteral and oral therapies are prescribed . Typical antibiotics used are cefoxitin or cefotetan plus doxycycline, and clindamycin plus gentamicin. An alternative parenteral regimen is ampicillin/sulbactam plus doxycycline. Once infection has been eliminated, surgery may be successful in opening the lumen of the fallopian tubes to allow a successful pregnancy and birth.
Even when the PID infection is cured, effects of the infection may be permanent. This makes early identification essential. Treatment resulting in cure is very important in the prevention of damage to the reproductive system. Formation of scar tissue due to one or episodes of PID can lead to tubal blockage, increasing the risk of the inability to get pregnant and long-term pelvic/abdominal pain. Certain occurrences such as a post pelvic operation, the period of time immediately after childbirth (postpartum), miscarriage or abortion increase the risk of acquiring another infection leading to PID.
In both the acute and chronic forms, antibiotics are used if an infection is suspected. The treatment of choice is often azithromycin and cefixime to cover both gonorrhoeae and chlamydia. Fluoroquinolones are no longer recommended due to widespread resistance of gonorrhoeae to this class. Doxycycline may be used as an alternative to azithromycin. In chronic epididymitis, a four- to six-week course of antibiotics may be prescribed to ensure the complete eradication of any possible bacterial cause, especially the various chlamydiae.
For cases caused by enteric organisms (such as "E. coli"), ofloxacin or levofloxacin are recommended.
In children, fluoroquinolones and doxycycline are best avoided. Since bacteria that cause urinary tract infections are often the cause of epididymitis in children, co-trimoxazole or suited penicillins (for example, cephalexin) can be used.
Household remedies such as elevation of the scrotum and cold compresses applied regularly to the scrotum may relieve the pain in acute cases. Painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs are often used for treatment of both chronic and acute forms. Hospitalisation is indicated for severe cases, and check-ups can ensure the infection has cleared up. Surgical removal of the epididymis is rarely necessary, causes sterility, and only gives relief from pain in approximately 50% of cases. However, in acute suppurating epididymitis (acute epididymitis with a discharge of pus), a epididymotomy may be recommended; in refractory cases, a full epididymectomy may be required. In cases with unrelenting testicular pain, removal of the entire testicle—orchiectomy—may also be warranted.
It is generally believed that most cases of chronic epididymitis will eventually "burn out" of patient's system if left untreated, though this might take years or even decades. However, some prostate-related medications have proven effective in treating chronic epididymitis, including doxazosin.
If symptomatic, testing is recommended. The risk of contracting Micoplasma infection can be reduced by the following:
- Using barrier methods such as condoms
- Seeking medical attention if you are experiencing symptoms suggesting a sexually transmitted infection.
- Seeking medical attention after learning that a current or former sex partner has, or might have had a sexually transmitted infection.
- Getting a STI history from your current partner and insisting they be tested and treated before intercourse.
- Avoiding vaginal activity, particularly intercourse, after the end of a pregnancy (delivery, miscarriage, or abortion) or certain gynecological procedures, to ensure that the cervix closes.
- Abstinence
Mycoplasmas have a triple-layered membrane and lack a cell wall. Commonly used antibiotics are generally ineffective because their efficacy is due to their ability to inhibit cell wall synthesis. Micoplasmas are not affected by penicillins and other antibiotics that act on the cell wall. The growth of micoplasmas in their host is inhibited by other broad-spectrum antibiotics. These broad-spectrum antibiotics inhibit the multiplication of the mycoplasma but does not kill them. Tetracyclines, macrolides, erythromycin, macrolides, ketolides, quinolones are used to treat mycoplasma infections. In addition to the penicillins, mycoplasmas are resistant to rifampicin. Mycoplasmas may be difficult to eradicate from human or animal hosts or from cell cultures by antibiotic treatment because of resistance to the antibiotic, or because it does not kill the mycoplasma cell. Mycoplasma cells are able to invade the cells of their hosts.
Ultrasound is useful if the cause is not certain based on the above measures. If the diagnosis of torsion is certain, imaging should not delay definitive management such as physical maneuvers and surgery.
It's been theorized that retrograde menstrual flow and the cervix opening during menstruation allows the infection to reach the Fallopian tubes.
Other risk factors include surgical procedures that break the cervical barrier, such as:
- endometrial biopsy
- curettage
- hysteroscopy
Another risk is factors that alter the microenvironment in the vagina and cervix, allowing infecting organisms to proliferate and eventually ascend to the Fallopian tube:
- antibiotic treatment
- ovulation
- menstruation
- sexually transmitted disease (STD)
Finally, sexual intercourse may facilitate the spread of disease from the vagina to the Fallopian tube. Coital risk factors are:
- Uterine contractions
- Sperm, carrying organisms upward
The bacteria most associated with salpingitis are:
- N. gonorrhoeae
- Chlamydia trachomatis
- Mycoplasma
- Staphylococcus
- Streptococcus
However, salpingitis is usually polymicrobial, involving many kinds of organisms. Other examples of organisms involved are:
- Ureaplasma urealyticum
- Anaerobic and aerobic bacteria
The standard treatment is with a minimum of four weeks of high-dose intravenous penicillin with an aminoglycoside such as gentamicin.
The use of high-dose antibiotics is largely based upon animal models.
Leo Loewe of Brooklyn Jewish Hospital was the first to successfully treat subacute bacterial endocarditis with penicillin. Loewe reported at the time seven cases of subacute bacterial endocarditis in 1944.
Oophoritis is an inflammation of the ovaries.
It is often seen in combination with salpingitis (inflammation of the fallopian tubes). It may develop in response to infection.
Mainly surgical approach has to be taken.
If cavity is small then surgical evacuation & curettage is performed under antibiotic cover.
If cavity is large then after evacuation, packing with cancellous bone chips
Antisense inhibitors which target the inflammatory process have been used to treat pouchitis in clinical trials. Antisense inhibitors function by binding to messenger RNA (mRNA) produced by a gene and deactivating it, effectively turning that gene "off". Specifically applied to pouchitis, antisense inhibitors would be used to switch off the inflammatory process.
There is no clinically approved treatment for pouchitis.
First line treatment is usually with antibiotics, specifically with ciprofloxacin and metronidazole. Ampicillin or Piperacillin can also be considered as alternatives to empiric Ciprofloxacin and metronidazole). Administration of metronidazole at a high daily dose of 20 mg/kg can cause symptomatic peripheral neuropathology in up to 85% of patients. This can be a limiting factor in the use of maintenance metronidazole to suppress chronic pouchitis.
Other therapies which have been shown to be effective in randomised clinical trials include probiotic therapy, the application of which usually begins as soon as any antibiotic course is completed so as to re-populate the pouch with beneficial bacteria. Biologics, such as anti-TNF antibodies, may also be useful but the evidence for their use is largely anecdotal. In addition, discussion by patients using related internet forums appears to give evidence of benefits (again, after cessation of antibiotics) from certain diets, such as the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, Paleolithic Diet, and Low FODMAP Diet. In particular, attention has been drawn to the exclusion of complex carbohydrates, as well as other foods with high starch content (such as grains, rice, and potatoes) and certain dairy products including milk and soft cheese.
High-dose antibiotics are administered by the intravenous route to maximize diffusion of antibiotic molecules into vegetation(s) from the blood filling the chambers of the heart. This is necessary because neither the heart valves nor the vegetations adherent to them are supplied by blood vessels. Antibiotics are typically continued for two to six weeks depending on the characteristics of the infection and the causative microorganisms.
In acute endocarditis, due to the fulminant inflammation empirical antibiotic therapy is started immediately after the blood has been drawn for culture. This usually includes vancomycin and ceftriaxone IV infusions until the microbial identification and susceptibility report with the minimum inhibitory concentration becomes available allowing for modification of the antimicrobial therapy to target the specific microorganism. It should be noted that the routine use of gentamicin to treat endocarditis has fallen out of favor due to the lack of evidence to support its use (except in infections caused by "Enterococcus" and nutritionally variant "streptococci") and the high rate of complications.
In subacute endocarditis, where patient's hemodynamic status is usually stable, antibiotic treatment can be delayed till the causative microorganism can be identified.
The most common organism responsible for infective endocarditis is "Staphylococcus aureus", which is resistant to penicillin in most cases. High rates of resistance to oxacillin are also seen, in which cases treatment with vancomycin is required.
Viridans group "streptococci" and "Streptococcus bovis" are usually highly susceptible to penicillin and can be treated with penicillin or ceftriaxone.
Relatively resistant strains of viridans group "streptococci" and "Streptococcus bovis" are treated with penicillin or ceftriaxone along with a shorter 2 week course of an aminoglycoside during the initial phase of treatment.
Highly penicillin resistant strains of viridans group "streptococci", nutritionally variant "streptococci" like "Granulicatella sp.", "Gemella sp." and "Abiotrophia defectiva", and "Enterococci" are usually treated with a combination therapy consisting of penicillin and an aminoglycoside for the entire duration of 4–6 weeks.
Selected patients may be treated with a relatively shorter course of treatment (2 weeks) with benzyl penicillin IV if infection is caused by viridans group "streptococci" or "Streptococcus bovis" as long as the following conditions are met:
- Endocarditis of a native valve, not of a prosthetic valve
- An MIC ≤ 0.12 mg/l
- Complication such as heart failure, arrhythmia, and pulmonary embolism occur
- No evidence of extracardiac complication like septic thromboembolism
- No vegetations > 5mm in diameter conduction defects
- Rapid clinical response and clearance of blood stream infection
Additionally oxacillin susceptible "Staphylococcus aureus" native valve endocarditis of the right side can also be treated with a short 2 week course of a beta-lactam antibiotic like nafcillin with or without aminoglycosides.
Surgical debridement of infected material and replacement of the valve with a mechanical or bioprosthetic artificial heart valve is necessary in certain situations:
- Patients with significant valve stenosis or regurgitation causing heart failure
- Evidence of hemodynamic compromise in the form of elevated end-diastolic left ventricular or left atrial pressure or moderate to severe pulmonary hypertension
- Presence of intracardiac complications like paravalvular abscess, conduction defects or destructive penetrating lesions
- Recurrent septic emboli despite appropriate antibiotic treatment
- Large vegetations (> 10 mm)
- Persistently positive blood cultures despite appropriate antibiotic treatment
- Prosthetic valve dehiscence
- Relapsing infection in the presence of a prosthetic valve
- Abscess formation
- Early closure of mitral valve
- Infection caused by fungi or resistant Gram negative bacteria.
The guidelines were recently updated by both the American College of Cardiology and the European Society of Cardiology. There was a recent meta-analysis published that showed surgical intervention at 7 days or less is associated with lower mortality .
Infective endocarditis is associated with 18% in-hospital mortality.
Though urinary tract infections in men are rare, bacterial infection is the most common cause of acute epididymitis. The bacteria in the urethra back-track through the urinary and reproductive structures to the epididymis. In rare circumstances, the infection reaches the epididymis via the bloodstream.
In sexually active men, "Chlamydia trachomatis" is responsible for two-thirds of acute cases, followed by "Neisseria gonorrhoeae" and "E. coli" (or other bacteria that cause urinary tract infection). Particularly among men over age 35 in whom the cause is "E. coli", epididymitis is commonly due to urinary tract obstruction. Less common microbes include "Ureaplasma", Mycobacterium, and "cytomegalovirus", or "Cryptococcus" in patients with HIV infection. "E. coli" is more common in boys before puberty, the elderly, and men who have sex with men. In the majority of cases in which bacteria are the cause, only one side of the scrotum or the other is the locus of pain.
Non-infectious causes are also possible. Reflux of sterile urine (urine without bacteria) through the ejaculatory ducts may cause inflammation with obstruction. In children, it may be a response following an infection with enterovirus, adenovirus or "Mycoplasma pneumoniae". Rare non-infectious causes of chronic epididymitis include sarcoidosis (more prevalent in black men) and Behçet's disease.
Any form of epididymitis can be caused by genito-urinary surgery, including prostatectomy and urinary catheterization. Congestive epididymitis is a long-term complication of vasectomy. Chemical epididymitis may also result from drugs such as amiodarone.
Tubal factor infertility (TFI) is female infertility caused by diseases, obstructions, damage, scarring, congenital malformations or other factors which impede the descent of a fertilized or unfertilized ovum into the uterus through the Fallopian tubes and prevents a normal pregnancy and full term birth. Tubal factors cause 25-30% of infertility cases. Tubal factor is one complication of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in women.
Sexually transmitted Chlamydia and genital mycoplasma infections are preventable causes of infertility and negative pregnancy outcomes. When the infections progress and ascend, they can result in TFI. Infertility can have multiple possible causes and may not be recognized for years after a gonorrhea, Chlamydia or Mycoplasma infection has caused tubal damage, as the affected woman may not have attempted to become pregnant until years later.
For unconfirmed acute sinusitis, intranasal corticosteroids have not been found to be better than a placebo either alone or in combination with antibiotics. For cases confirmed by radiology or nasal endoscopy, treatment with corticosteroids alone or in combination with antibiotics is supported. The benefit, however, is small.
There is only limited evidence to support short treatment with oral corticosteroids for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.
SIN is associated with infertility and ectopic pregnancy, and may present as either.
Most sinusitis cases are caused by viruses and resolve without antibiotics. However, if symptoms do not resolve within 10 days, amoxicillin is a reasonable antibiotic to use first for treatment with amoxicillin/clavulanate being indicated when the person's symptoms do not improve after 7 days on amoxicillin alone. A 2012 Cochrane review, however, found only a small benefit between 7 and 14 days, and could not recommend the practice when compared to potential complications and risk of developing resistance. Antibiotics are specifically not recommended in those with mild / moderate disease during the first week of infection due to risk of adverse effects, antibiotic resistance, and cost.
Fluoroquinolones, and a newer macrolide antibiotic such as clarithromycin or a tetracycline like doxycycline, are used in those who have severe allergies to penicillins. Because of increasing resistance to amoxicillin the 2012 guideline of the Infectious Diseases Society of America recommends amoxicillin-clavulanate as the initial treatment of choice for bacterial sinusitis. The guidelines also recommend against other commonly used antibiotics, including azithromycin, clarithromycin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, because of growing antibiotic resistance. The FDA recommends against the use of fluoroquinolones when other options are available due to higher risks of serious side effects.
A short-course (3–7 days) of antibiotics seems to be just as effective as the typical longer-course (10–14 days) of antibiotics for those with clinically diagnosed acute bacterial sinusitis without any other severe disease or complicating factors. The IDSA guideline suggest five to seven days of antibiotics is long enough to treat a bacterial infection without encouraging resistance. The guidelines still recommend children receive antibiotic treatment for ten days to two weeks.
Nocardiosis requires at least 6 months of treatment, preferably with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole or high doses of sulfonamides. In patients who do not respond to sulfonamide treatment, other drugs, such as ampicillin, erythromycin, or minocycline, may be added.
Treatment also includes surgical drainage of abscesses and excision of necrotic tissue. The acute phase requires complete bed rest; as the patient improves, activity can increase.
A new combination drug therapy (sulfonamide, ceftriaxone, and amikacin) has also shown promise.
Fournier's gangrene ( an aggressive and rapidly spreading infection of the perineum ) usually presents with fever and intense pain. It is a rare condition but fatal if not identified and aggressively treated with a combination of surgical debridement and broad spectrum antibiotics.
Salpingitis isthmica nodosa, also known as diverticulosis of the Fallopian tube, is nodular thickening of the narrow part of the uterine tube, due to inflammation. It is abbreviated SIN.
Otomycosis is treated by debridment followed with topical azole antifungals, and symptomatically managed with oral antihistamines. Per a study in Iran 10cc acetic acid 2% plus 90 cc of isopropyl alcohol 70% was effective.
If the nematode can be seen by an ophthalmologist, which occurs in less than half of cases, it should be treated with photocoagulation for extramacular location and surgical removal in case the larva is lying in the macula. After the worm is killed, visual acuity loss usually does not progress. Alternatively, Antihelminthic treatment such as high dose oral Albendazole and prednisolone may be used.