How to Identify a Nasal Staph Infection

Staph is a bacteria that can form a colony in your nose. There are no symptoms if you have staph in your nasal passages. The majority of the time, you will not know that staph is present and there will be no abscesses or problems. The only way to identify if you have staph in your nasal passages is to have a nasal swab performed by your physician. If the culture grows staph, then you will know that you are infected. Even then, however, there may not be any reason for alarm. It is estimated that one third of the population has staph living in their nasal passages without knowing it. If you are infected, your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic to use, either orally or by swabbing an ointment in your nose.

Things You'll Need

• Nasal Culture

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Instructions

• 1

  Contact your physician. Ask to have an appointment to discuss your problem.

• 2

  Explain your concerns. Tell your doctor that you want a nasal swab performed.

• 3

  Wait for the test results. A culture normally takes 2-3 days to grow.

• 4

  Get your results.

• 5

  Follow the care plan determined by your physician.

• 6

  Take your medications as prescribed.