Staph Infection Information

Staph infection (staphylococcus aureus) is a bacterial infection that can cause a variety of diseases in different areas of your body. It may result in a mild illness or a life-threatening condition. According to MedicineNet, it is most commonly found on your skin or in your nose.

• A staph infection may present as a blister or a boil.

Symptoms/Diseases

• Symptoms of staph disease on your skin include an abscess, furuncle (involving a hair follicle) or boil that is swollen, red and painful. You may have a drainage of pus. While skin infections from staph are most common, the bacteria may enter your bloodstream (called bacteremia or sepsis) and involve other organs, resulting in a serious illness. Examples are staph pneumonia, which may lead to abscess in your lungs; infection of your heart valves, which can result in heart failure; and toxic shock syndrome, which is bacteria growth in an area where there is little or no oxygen and most often affects women who use super or super-plus tampons.

Diagnosis

• Minor skin infections from staph typically are diagnosed by examination alone. Serious infections are diagnosed by a culture of a blood or fluid sample. The laboratory that confirms the diagnosis of staph infection also will test to identify which antibiotics should be used to treat the infection.

Treatment

• An antibiotic ointment is commonly used to treat minor skin staph infections, such as a triple-antibiotic that can be purchased without a prescription. Oral antibiotics may be necessary in certain cases. Abscesses must be drained surgically. In the case of severe, life-threatening infections, you may be given antibiotics intravenously.

MRSA

• MRSA is methicillin-resistant staphyloccoccus aureas, a strain of staph that has become resistant to many antibiotics. According to the Mayo Clinic, it commonly occurs in hospitals, nursing homes, dialysis centers and other health care facilities. Although it is still treatable, usually with the antibiotic vancomycin, MRSA may eventually become resistant to this antibiotic as well. If it is not properly treated, MRSA can be fatal.

Complication

• A potentially serious complication of staph infection on your skin is scalded skin syndrome, in which bacteria produce a protein that affects the layers of your skin. It results in blisters and peeling off of your skin's top layer. When it affects large areas of your body, it can be life threatening. It is treated with intravenous antibiotics and protection of your skin from dehydration. According to MedicineNet, it is most common in children.

Prevention

• Prevention measures include frequent hand washing; appropriate care of cuts, scrapes and wounds; avoiding close contact with individuals who may be infected; and proper food handling and preparation. In addition, women should change their tampons frequently and use tampons with the lowest absorbency possible.