Staph Infection - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
- by Scott Gillespie
- Published on 11/21/08
- Article views: 1943
Staph is the common term but it's medical term is Staphylococcus. It is bacteria which commonly lives on the skin and is harmless in this environment. It's when the skin is broken and the infection enters it that it can cause problems.
Staph contains over thirty different types of bacteria and is responsible for a number of illnesses with most non life threatening. Conditions such as skin disease or impetigo which is most common in children and is characterized by pussy formations on the skin and yellow crusts are as a result of staph infection.
Staph skin infection
Anybody who has an untreated cut or scratch is prone to get staph skin infection. The staph skin infection includes pimples, impetigo, boils, cellulitis, abscesses etc. Out of this, cellulitis is very critical and requires immediate treatment. It starts with a small swelling, inflammation and pain on the area of the affected skin. As it spreads, the patient develops fever. Its severity lies in its affecting the deeper layer of the skin up to blood stream. Although the disease can affect any part of the body, the area of face and lower legs are more prone for this infection
What Causes Staph Infections?
Most frequently, staph causes skin infections, such as impetigo and folliculitis. Both of these conditions require only local treatment, namely hot compresses soaked in saline (salt solution) or topical antibiotics. Staph also is the usual cause of furuncles, or boils, larger skin infections that sometimes require the doctor to cut them open with to allow the pus to drain out. When several furuncles coalesce (become interconnected), a carbuncle is formed. This type of infection can also be cured surgically, but the procedure is somewhat more invasive.
What Are the Symptoms of Staph Infection?
Staph cellulitis usually begins as a small area of tenderness, swelling, and redness. Sometimes it begins with an open sore. Other times, there is no break in the skin at all -- and it's anyone's guess where the bacteria came from.
Preventing staph infections
Basic Handwashing techniques such as those developed by Professor G.A.J. Ayliffe, which has six steps are effective in preventing the transmission of Staphylococcus aureus. By the use of 'standard precautions', and where necessary 'additional precautions', the risk of transmission can be further reduced.
Staph Infection Treatment
If you are given an antibiotic, take all of the doses, even if the infection is getting better, unless your health care provider tells you to stop. Unfinished doses can lead to the development of drug resistance in the bacteria. Vancomycin is one of the few antibiotics that are effective against hospital strains of staph infection, although some staph bacteria have developed a resistance to this treatment as well. They are called vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) and vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA), but they are less common.
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