How to Know You Have Staph

Staphylococcus, more commonly known as staph, is an infection most often found in body tissue. Some cases of staph are relatively mild. Others like methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can be serious or even fatal. Humans can exhibit more than 25 different varieties of staph infection, which is most often found on the skin or inside nasal passages. While it is rarely symptomatic of another disease, staph can cause sufficient damage on its own.

Instructions

• 1

  Avoid contact with others who have staph infection. Staph can move from person to person via bodily contact or contact with an infected person's property such as clothing, towels or skin products.

• 2

  Memorize situations and places that could lead to staph infection. Situations like surgery, outpatient procedures and hospital stays and places like day care centers, schools and sports arenas breed staph. This knowledge could help confirm or rule it out.

• 3

  Note skin bumps, cuts, scrapes or sores that are red, painful, swollen, filled with pus or warm to the touch. If they continue to worsen or spread beyond the original wound, chances are good that staph is present.

• 4

  Pay attention to boils, which are always staph related. They can be controlled and treated if they are noted in time.

• 5

  Watch for impetigo and cellulitis. Impetigo rash occurs in infants and young children while cellulitis is more common in adults. Both conditions can be staph related.

• 6

  Take your temperature. Fevers above 99.1 degrees F are considered elevated and could warn of staph. High temperatures that will not die out could indicate staph has entered the blood stream in a condition known as bacteremia.

• 7

  Look for staph's symptoms. These include diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramps and vomiting, especially in connection with any of the problems noted in Step 3. Other conditions like pneumonia could indicate that staph has traveled from one area of the body to another via the blood stream.

• 8

  Rule out toxic shock syndrome (TSS). While TSS is usually linked to tampon use, that is not the only way it can occur. Surgical wounds, skin cuts or abrasions can also lead to the problem. TSS symptoms include confusion, headache, high fever, muscle aches, nausea, rash, seizure and vomiting.

• 9

  Report unusual arthritis problems. Staph infection can lead to septic arthritis of the joints, particularly those of the elbow, hip, leg, shoulder and wrist. Symptoms include chills, fever, joint pain and swelling as well as joint impairment.

• 10

  Ask your physician for a microbial culture to denote the presence of staph or rule it out. An additional test can also rule out MRSA. A third can identify the specific type of bacteria, making it easier for your doctor to find the right antibiotic.

• 11

  Report to your doctor if the infection medication prescribed is not working. He may have overlooked staph or the drug prescribed may be insufficient for the type or level of infection involved.