Veterinary Clinical Medicine-I (General and Systemic)

SEPTICEMIA

• Septicemia is the presence of bacteria in the blood (bacteremia) and is often associated with severe infections.

Causes

• Septicemia is a serious, life-threatening infection that gets worse very quickly.
• It can arise from infections throughout the body, including infections in the lungs, abdomen, and urinary tract.
• It may come before or at the same time as infections of the bone (osteomyelitis), central nervous system (meningitis), heart (endocarditis), or other tissues.

Symptoms

• Septicemia can begin with spiking fevers, chills, rapid breathing, and rapid heart rate.
• The symptoms rapidly progress to shock with fever or decreased body temperature (hypothermia), falling blood pressure, confusion or other changes in mental status, and blood clotting problems that lead to a specific type of red spots on the skin (petechiae and ecchymosis).
• There may be decreased or no urine output.

Examinations and Tests

• A physical examination may show:
• Low blood pressure
• Low body temperature or fever
• Signs of associated disease (such as meningitis, epiglottitis, pneumonia, or cellulitis)

Tests that can confirm infection include

• Blood culture
• Blood gases
• CBC
• Clotting studies
• PT
• PTT
• Fibrinogen levels
• CSF culture
• Culture of any suspect skin lesion
• Platelet count
• Urine culture

Treatment

• Septicemia is a serious condition that requires a vetrinary hospital stay.
• The animal patient may be admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU).
• Fluids and medicines are to be given by IV to maintain the blood pressure.
• Oxygenneeds to be be given. Antibiotics are used to treat the infection.
• Plasma or other blood products may be given to correct any clotting abnormalities.

Prognosis

• What to expect depends on the organism involved and how quickly the patient is hospitalized and treatment begins.
• The death rate is high -- more than 50% for some organisms.

Possible Complications

• Septicemia can rapidly lead to adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), septic shock, and death.
• Septicemia associated with meningococci can lead to shock or adrenal collapse.

Prevention

• Appropriate treatment of localized infections can prevent septicemia.
• In certain cases, animals who are in close contact with someothers with septicemia may be prescribed preventative antibiotics.