Question

Sam, a 32-year-old male who works on a construction site visits his family physician three days after suffering a puncture wound in his foot from a nail gun. The site of the injury is painful, red, warm and swollen with evidence of pus. There are reddish streaks extending up his ankle and lower leg. His temperature is 38.3°C. Describe the molecular details on how the above signs and symptoms occurred.

Answer 1

Answer:-

The skin is the body's first line of defense, the surface of which is protected by a thin, acid film produced by the sebaceous glands called the acid mantle. This acid mantle is a dynamic barrier that regulates the skin's pH and maintains microorganisms called the normal flora that help prevent pathogens from entering the body. Pathogens will often displace some of the normal flora and colonize certain locations, but most of the time this does not lead to infection and does not stimulate an immune response. However, when the skin is broken or if the immune system becomes compromised, any of the microorganisms colonizing the skin or introduced to the wound can cause an infection.

Pus generally forms in an abscess. This is a cavity or space created by the breakdown of tissue. Abscesses can form on your skin’s surface or inside your body. However, some parts of your body are exposed to more bacteria. This makes them more vulnerable to infection.

Pus is the result of the body's natural immune system automatically responding to an infection, usually caused by bacteria or fungi. Leukocytes, or white blood cells, are produced in the marrow of bones. They attack the organisms that cause infection.

As pus builds up, it can press against the skin and surrounding inflamed tissue, causing pain. Some abscesses are caused by an irritant like an injected medication that was not completely absorbed.

Leukocytes, or white blood cells, are produced in the marrow of bones. They attack the organisms that cause infection.

Neutrophils, a type of leukocyte, have the specific task of attacking harmful fungi or bacteria.

For this reason, pus also contains dead bacteria.

Macrophages, another type of leukocyte, detect the foreign bodies and release an alarm system in the form of small, cell-signaling protein molecules called cytokines.

Cytokines alert the neutrophils, and these neutrophils filter from the bloodstream into the affected area.

The rapid accumulation of neutrophils eventually leads to the presence of pus.