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Staph Infections

This is a staph infection on the skin.

Staph infections are the result of staphylococcus bacteria, which is a type of germ that is found in many healthy people in their nose or on their skin. In most cases, the bacteria does not cause any problems and does not result in serious skin infections, although minor skin infections are possible.  Unfortunately, staph infections do not always remain just in the skin.  In some cases, they can invade your urinary tract, your heart, your lungs, or your bloodstream.  In very severe cases of staph infections, typically people who suffer from these are already hospitalized or have a weak immune system or a chronic illness.  It is possible, though, for people who are otherwise healthy to have life threatening staph infections.

Symptoms

Staph infections can be minor or they can be as serious as endocarditis which is a life-threatening inflammation of the lining of your heart valve. The result is that the signs and symptoms of staph infections come in a wide variety, and this will depend upon the location of the infection and the severity of the infection.  Some of the skin infections that are caused by staph bacteria include the following:  boils, impetigo, cellulitis, and scalded skin syndrome.

  • Boils are the most common form of a staph infection.  This is when pus develops in a hair follicle or an oil gland.  The skin of the infected area becomes swollen and red.  When a boil breaks open, it can drain blood, pus, or a liquid that is an amber color.  Boils occur sometimes under the arms or on the buttocks or around the groin.

  • Impetigo is a contagious and painful rash that is most commonly found with infants and young children.  Sorts of impetigo present due to staph infection usually have large blisters that will often ooze fluid and will develop a crust that is honey-colored. Often the sores will appear around the mouth and the nose.

This is impetigo from staph infection.
Staph infection from impetigo

  • Cellulitis is an infection that makes the skin look swollen and red at which point the hair follicles make dimples that look like an orange peel.  This condition occurs most commonly in older people on their lower legs or feet.

  • Scalded skin syndrome most commonly affects newborn children and usually has a rash, a fever, and often blisters.  Then when the blisters break, the top layer of the skin will come off, and this will leave a raw and red surface that appears as a burn.

Food poisoning is another symptom of staph-related food poisoning. The symptoms will typically come on very quickly, usually around one to six hours following the consumption of contaminated food.  This illness will often leave as soon as it started, and people will normally recover in just a day or two.  However, the effects may be more serious in older adults and children.  Symptoms in these individuals may include nausea, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting.  

Another symptom of staph infection is bacteremia.  This is another name for blood poisoning.  It occurs when the staph bacteria comes into the bloodstream of a person.  Fever that continues is one sign of the condition.  The bacteria present is able to travel to a number of locations in your body and can produce infections of the internal organs, such as your lungs, causing pneumonia, or your heart, causing endocarditis.  It also affects surgically implanted devices, like cardiac pacemakers or artificial joints.  

Toxic shock syndrome is another symptom, and it is a life-threatening condition that has been linked to some types of tampon use as well as surgery and skin wounds less frequently.  Normally it develops suddenly, with the symptoms of confusion, nausea and vomiting, high fever, a rash on the soles and palms that looks like sunburn, seizures, muscle aches, and headache.  

Septic arthritis can be caused by a staph infection.  The bacteria will often target the knees, but it can also affect the joints, which include the hip, ankle, wrist, shoulder, or elbow.  Some of the symptoms may include fever, shaking chills, joint swelling, and severe pain in the affected joint.  

It is important to see your doctor if you have an area of skin that is painful, irritated, or red, a fever, or pus-filled blisters.  Additionally if you have skin infections that have been passed from a family member to another or two or more family members who have a skin infection present at the same time, you should contact your doctor.

Causes of Staph Infection

There are many individuals who are carriers of the staph bacteria, yet they never develop the staph infection themselves.  If you have a staph infection, it is likely that it came from a bacteria that you have been carrying for a period of time.  This bacteria is able to be passed from individual to individual.  This bacteria also happens to be very hardy, so it can live on objects such as towels or razors or bedsheets long enough that it can be transferred to the next person who touches those items.  Staph bacteria have the ability to survive drying, high levels of salt, and extreme temperatures.  Cooking will not even kill the staph bacteria, so this is why it can cause food-borne illness too.  

There are a number of factors that put you at increased risk of developing a staph infection.  Even though many efforts have been made to keep staph out of hospitals, it still remains widespread, and here is where the most vulnerable people in our population live, such as people with burns with surgical wounds, with serious problems such as diabetes, and with weakened immune systems.  Additionally, staph bacteria has the ability to travel along medical tubing that connects your internal organs to the outside world.  Some examples of this include urinary catheters, dialysis, feeding tubes, intravascular catheters, and breathing intubation. Additionally staph bacteria has the ability to spread quickly and easily through abrasions, cuts, and skin to skin contact.  Athletes can spread staph by sharing equipment, razors, towels, or uniforms.  

Treatment of Staph Infections

Staph bacteria have the ability to be very adaptable and some of the varieties are able to be very resistant to antibiotics.  Less than 10 percent of staph infections today can now be cured using the antibiotic, penicillin. When the staph bacteria becomes resistant to methicillin, it is also resistant to other common antibiotics.  MRSA, which is methicillin resistant, has led to the need for stronger and more toxic antibiotics, like vancomycin; however, some strains of this bacteria have been resistant to even vancomycin.  In order to choose the best antibiotic, your doctor may wish to identify which form of staph is involved with your infection.  

There are a number of precautions that can be taken in order to lower your risk of developing staph infections.  First, it is extremely important to wash your hands.  When washing your hands, you should scrub your hands for at minimum 15 to 30 seconds.  Then you should use a disposable towel to dry your hands.  If you have hands that are not visibly dirty, you can use a hand sanitizer to kill germs, and these hand sanitizers should be at least 62 percent alcohol.  Secondly, you should keep all of your wounds covered.  This means that they must be clean and covered with dry and sterile bandages until they are completely healed.  The pus that is in infected sores often has staph bacteria involved so by keeping the wound covered, you are helping to keep the infection from spreading.  If you are a female and use tampons, you can reduce your risk by changing the tampon often and using the lowest absorbency possible.  You should also rotate using tampons and sanitary napkins as much as possible.  Personal items should stay personal.  This means that you should avoid sharing items like towels, razors, sheets, clothing, and athletic uniforms or equipment.  




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