What Is Tracheitis?
3. Causes
Doctors do not know the exact cause of tracheitis, but the disease tends to occur after another viral infection like influenza or a bacterial infection like pneumococcus has previously weakened the immune system. Trauma to the throat from medical procedures can also cause tracheitis. For example, a tracheostomy or an endotracheal tube can cause lesions that are vulnerable to bacteria.
Strains of Staphylococcus and Streptococcus bacteria that secrete toxins can cause tracheitis and also organ failure when they grow inside the trachea. Other pathogens responsible for tracheitis include the following: Moraxella catarrhalis, Haemophilus influenza type B, Bacteroides, Prevotella, and Mycoplasma pneumonia. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is an antibiotic-resistant bacterium that has recently become implicated in cases of tracheitis in the U.S.
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