Staph can cause serious infections if it gets into the blood and can lead to sepsis or death. Staph is either methicillin-resistant staph (MRSA) or methicillin-susceptible staph (MSSA). Staph can spread in and between hospitals and other healthcare facilities, and in communities.
For most people staph skin infections clear up after treatment and seldom return, but for some people staph skin infections can recur or be an ongoing problem.
Each case of staph infection is different, but most often staph will resolve in 1-3 weeks. Once you complete your antibiotic treatment, you'll no longer be contagious, but you should keep any skin infection clean and covered until it is completely gone.
Usually, staph bacteria don't cause any harm. However,if they get inside the body they can cause an infection. When common antibiotics don't kill the staph bacteria, it means the bacteria have become resistant to those antibiotics. This type of staph is called MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus).
Lungs and heart: If the bacteria get into your lungs, you can develop pneumonia and other breathing problems from the abscesses that can form. Staph bacteria can also damage the heart valves and lead to heart failure.
Sepsis, which is an infection of the bloodstream, and one of the most dangerous forms of staph infection. Symptoms include rapid breathing, an elevated heart rate, fever, chills, and disorientation. Staph infections in bones which also cause fever and chills accompanied by pain in the infected area.
It is the leading cause of skin and soft tissue infections such as abscesses (boils), furuncles, and cellulitis. Although most staph infections are not serious, S. aureus can cause serious infections such as bloodstream infections, pneumonia, or bone and joint infections.
Bacteremia. Also known as a bloodstream infection, bacteremia occurs when staph bacteria enter the bloodstream. A fever and low blood pressure are signs of bacteremia.
Antibiotics commonly prescribed to treat staph infections include cefazolin, nafcillin, oxacillin, vancomycin, daptomycin and linezolid. For serious staph infections, vancomycin may be required. This is because so many strains of staph bacteria have become resistant to other traditional antibiotics.
Staph is a type of germ (bacteria) that can cause infections almost anywhere in the body. One type of staph germ, called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), is harder to treat. This is because MRSA is not killed by certain medicines (antibiotics) used to treat other staph germs.
If a systemic staph infection develops in the heart, lungs, bloodstream, or another organ system, treatment can take weeks to months. In rare cases, these staph infections can lead to sepsis, a dangerous condition in which the immune system has an exaggerated response to infection.
Epidemiologic and environmental factors, such as exposure to health care, age, household contacts with S. aureus SSTI, and contaminated household fomites are associated with recurrence.
Extremely variable - symptoms can appear in 1-10 days. For how long can an infected person carry this bacteria? As long as draining lesions are present or the carrier state persists. Auto-infection may continue for the period of nasal colonization or duration of active lesions.
Infections of the skin or other soft tissues by the hard-to-treat MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria appear to permanently compromise the lymphatic system, which is crucial to immune system function.
If the sore becomes unusually painful or red, get prompt medical attention. If red lines develop, that's a sign the infection is spreading and needs immediate medical attention.
Staphylococcal brain infections may cause mental deterioration and epileptic seizures, suggesting interference with normal neurotransmission in the brain.
Symptoms of a staphylococcus infection can range from irritated skin, to painful lumps and swelling, to fever, racing heart, and confusion if the bacteria enter your bloodstream. Some people carry staph bacteria on their skin or in their nose but never experience any symptoms from it.
Staphlylococcus aureus (AKA "staph") frequently causes skin infections, but can sometimes lead to deadly conditions such as sepsis, pneumonia, and bloodstream infections. This is especially a problem for patients in the hospital, where their immune systems could already be weakened by other illnesses.
Invasive staph infections, such as sepsis (also called septicemia), endocarditis, and pneumonia, typically cause significant illness that may include fever, fast breathing or shortness of breath, fatigue, and sometimes confusion or disorientation.
Summary: Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) is an important infection with an incidence rate ranging from 20 to 50 cases/100,000 population per year. Between 10% and 30% of these patients will die from SAB.
“If there is fever, rapidly spreading redness, rapid heart rate, or extraordinary pain that is disproportionate to the wound or injury, that is when you tell the patient to visit the hospital,” he said.
Model of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm development
aureus biofilm development is described in five stages: A) attachment, B) multiplication, C) exodus, D) maturation, and E) dispersal.
Staph infection
MRSA infections start out as small red bumps that can quickly turn into deep, painful abscesses. Staph skin infections, including MRSA , generally start as swollen, painful red bumps that might look like pimples or spider bites.