How to Test for Staph

A rise in the incidence of staph infections has been encountered in newborns, pregnant women and in individuals with chronic ailments like diabetes and heart disease. A rise in the number of AIDS cases in the recent years is also one of the most prominent causative factors for the spread of staph infections. Staph infections present themselves with symptoms like abscesses, boils and furuncles. A circumscribed form of reddish patch may be noticed in the affected area. The diseased conditions that maybe correlated with these symptoms are scalded skin syndrome, mastitis, impetigo and pneumonia. The grievous consequences that follow an unattended case of staph infection make diagnosis of this infection at an earlier stage a necessity.

Things You'll Need

• Crystal violet
• Iodine solution (the Mordant)
• Ethanol
• Safranin (the counterstain)
• Water
• Scalpel
• Bandage
• Microscope

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Instructions

• 1

  Clean the affected region with an antiseptic solution. Check the expiry date of the solution before you use it.

• 2

  Using a scalpel, gently obtain a specimen of the affected tissue from the affected site. Apply a bandage to the region from where the tissue specimen is obtained.

• 3

  Place the specimen on a slide and rinse it with Crystal Violet, iodine solution (the Mordant), ethanol, safranin (the counterstain), water.

• 4

  Place the slide with stained specimen on it under the microscope and observe. The blue or violet substances observed in the slide are the staphylococci bacteria responsible for staph infections.