Bacterial adenitis, also known as lymphadenitis or water, is an inflammation of one or more lymph nodes, caused by bacteria. This infection can appear anywhere on the body, being common in areas such as neck, armpit, groin or abdomen, and causes swelling, redness, heat and pain at the site.
Bacterial adenitis can occur in anyone, being common in children, and can be caused by different types of bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus , group A-β-hemolytic streptococcus , Y. enterocolitica, Y. pseudotuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Shigella sp or Salmonella sp, for example, and therefore, its treatment is done with the prescription of antibiotics by the doctor.
However, it must be remembered that there are several other causes for the enlargement of the lymph nodes, usually due to a reaction of the body to some type of inflammation, which happens for several reasons, from a cold, a dental infection, a skin injury, or even, more rarely, for immune diseases or cancer, for example. Check out more details about what the enlarged lymph node may be.
Main symptoms
Bacterial adenitis causes an intense inflammatory reaction in the affected ganglion, which causes an increase in its size, which is larger than 1 cm and can even reach the size of a lemon, in addition to becoming red, hot and painful, and cause a fever that reaches 40ºC.
Generally, adenitis appears in the cervical, axillary or groin region, where they are more common, but they can also appear in more internal regions of the body, reaching mesenteric, intestinal, stomach or mediastinal lymph nodes, for example, causing fever, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea, being more difficult to identify.
How the treatment is done
Treatment for bacterial adenitis is done with the use of oral antibiotics, such as Amoxicillin, Cephalexin or Clindamycin, for example, chosen by the doctor according to the suspicion of which type of bacteria causes the infection. In case of doubt, the doctor may also order tests for aspirate or biopsy of the affected ganglion, to confirm the suspicion and to find out if the bacteria is sensitive to the active ingredient of the drug.
