Video Transcript
What microorganism is responsible
for causing puerperal sepsis? (A) Bacterium, (B) virus, (C)
protist, (D) fungus.
This question is asking us about
puerperal sepsis, which is a disease that affects the female reproductive
system. Let’s first go over some of the
parts of the female reproductive system so we can answer this question
correctly.
The external part of the
reproductive system is called the genitals. In females, we call this the
vulva. The vagina is the long muscular
tube that’s involved in sexual intercourse. Past the vagina is the uterus; this
is where the unborn baby develops until birth.
Puerperal sepsis is a bacterial
infection of the uterus that can occur after childbirth. This can be caused by a bacteria
called group A streptococcus. This is the same bacteria that
causes tonsillitis, also known as strep throat.
Someone who has this bacteria on
their hands or on their equipment while performing a delivery of a baby can transfer
this bacteria to the vagina. This bacteria can find its way into
the uterus, where it can multiply and cause an infection. This can cause puerperal sepsis,
which has different symptoms including fever, foul-smelling vaginal discharge, and
abdominal pain.
Getting back to our question, the
microorganism that causes puerperal sepsis is given by answer choice (A),
bacterium.
