How To Clean Staph Infection

How Does The Staph Infection Spread

As mentioned before, the Staphylococcus bacteria are present in our skin only. While some are dormant and dont inflict any kind of skin infections, the virulent streaks of the bacteria tend to have negative impacts on the body, causing infections and other forms of skin diseases.

When it comes to the spreading of the disease, the process can be quite extensive and quite common at the same time. Direct skin to skin contact with the carrier or even touching any object infected with the staph bacteria can cause the induction of the infection.

Not just that, the staph infection has the capability of entering the body through a cut or any form of wound as well. If you witness any kind of severe symptoms, it is quite necessary to reach out to a doctor to get the problem checked out from the root itself. If the MSRA strain of bacteria enters the bloodstream, chances are that it will end up affecting the major organs of the body.

How Long Does A Staph Infection Last

Before we jump straight into speaking of how long a staph infection lasts, it is important to understand a few base grounds of the disease.

While they cant necessarily be called stages, but the healing process of with the home remedies for staph infection depends on the kind of severity of the condition.

• For the most part, the infection can kick off with something as common as a boil on the skin to something as severe as flesh eating infection. This is the primary reason why it is important to be very assertive of the symptoms and reach out to a doctor if needed.

The difference between how has the one can treat staph infection at home depends on what kind of stage the condition is in and the kind of proliferation it is undergoing. Majority of the times, there have been reports suggesting the infection being induced by antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. These virulent forms of bacteria are often very hard to treat and thus prolong the healing process as well.

• That being said, there are also a number of times when the condition can arrest itself in the stages of the boils and not proliferate from there. If that is the condition, it can effective get cured within a matter of 10-20 days with the correct administration of remedies.

• People diagnosed with diabetes and weaker immune systems tend to take more time when it comes to healing.

Can You Get A Staph Infection In Your Belly Button

Yes, you can. Some of the risk factors include:

• Getting a navel piercing.
• Having diabetes.
• Wearing tight clothing.

Make sure to keep your belly button clean and dry. This will help to keep bacterial and fungal build-up to the minimum. If you have any discomfort or see signs of infection, call your healthcare provider.

Read Also: What Medicine Is Best For A Yeast Infection

What Are The Types Of Mrsa Infections

Two categories of MRSA are:

• Hospital-associated : HA-MRSA refers to MRSA infections that are associated with healthcare settings, such as hospitals and nursing homes.
• Community-associated : CA-MRSA infections are those that occur in people who have not had a recent hospitalization or other contact with the healthcare system.

What Are The Symptoms Of Staph Infection

The symptoms vary on multiple levels from mild to as severe as life-threatening depended on the location of the infections.

For infections on skin, there are symptoms such as:

• Boils: Those are the most common which are small sacs of pus appear on oil gland or hair follicle with swollen and red skin around them. Pus will drain out if those are busted and you can often see them on your buttocks or groin.
• Impetigo: this pain rash is contagious and often brings on blisters which contain fluid and might develop crust.
• Cellulitis: This is the infection which happens beyond the first layer of skin that swelling and redness on the surface. Ulcers and discharge of ooze might occur and this infection is often observed on the feet and lower legs.
• Staphylococcal Scalding Skin: Toxins from staph infections are the caused for this symptom. Infants and children are the most vulnerable and they usually develop fever and rash with blisters. Occasionally, the blister will bust which will cause the first layer of skin to be peeled off and make the area look like burn.

Symptoms of staph infections can be from food poisoning such as:

• Low level of blood pressure

Bacteremia:

Toxic Shock:

These staph infections symptoms are developed due to infections from surgery, cuts on skin and even tampons. This can be fatal and severe with symptoms such as:

• High fever with nausea and vomit
• Rash on palms and sunburn-look-alike soles
• Confusion and aches in muscles
• Pain in abdomen and diarrhea

You May Like: Can Tooth Infection Go Away On Its Own

What Are The Treatments For Staph Infection

Most staph infection on the skin can be treated with a topical antibiotic . Your doctor may also drain a boil or abscess by making a small incision to let the pus out.

Doctors also prescribe oral antibiotics to treat staph infection in the body and on the skin. The antibiotic will vary depending on the type of infection. In severe cases of staph infection, doctors use IV antibiotics to kill the bacteria.

Also Check: Best Meds For An Ear Infection

Avoid Sharing Personal Items

Staph infections can spread from person to person and through objects, such as razors, sheets, clothing, towels, and athletic equipment. The bacteria can survive on clothing and bedding that are not adequately washed as well. Its best to wash all clothing and bedding, especially if someone in your household has a staph infection, and avoid sharing personal items.

Read Also: I Get A Bladder Infection After Intercourse

Rubbing Alcohol For Staph Infection

The application of rubbing alcohol to cure staph infection without antibiotics is quite effective. The alcohol definitely helps in curing the condition in two distinct ways. The disinfectant properties of the rubbing alcohol help keep the infection from proliferating.

Also, when we use 70% of the rubbing alcohol mix with water, it does have better impacts in comparison to when we use 90% instead.

The water along with the alcohol enters the bacteria and causes the cidal effect which helps in not just killing the bacteria in question, it also sterilizes and prevents the bacterial from coming back.

What to do?

How often?

• 1-2 times daily

Bathroom Germs You Really Can Catch

What are the real bathroom germs lurking behind your sink — and how can you combat them?

If you’ve seen a household cleanser ad lately, you’ve probably seen a bacteria, mold, or fungus, personified as an ugly little critter with sharp teeth, scaly skin, and a bad attitude. Those ads make it seem as if bathroom germs are mounting a daily, organized invasion of your tub, toilet, and shower. But what are the real bathroom germs lurking behind your sink, what can you catch from them, and how can you combat them?

Also Check: How Do You Get Rid Of A Mouth Infection

Staph Infection Containment In Schools Sample Checklist

Education and training

• Everyone has received hand hygiene training and can demonstrate procedure.
• Everyone knows to report new infections or worsening infections to ____________________________________________ .
• Training material is available to everyone.
• Everyone knows the policy on work restrictions for an employee with a skin infection.
• Parents of minor children have been notified of the infections with due respect to students privacy as outlined in the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act .
• Persons responsible for changing bandages know how to change them.
• Verbal training in the appropriate language and educational level has been done.
• Training is documented.

Implementation of containment procedures treatment

Implementation of containment procedures hygiene

• Everyone is required to perform hand hygiene at appropriate times and places.
• Hand washing facilities are located in accordance with city/county health codes.
• Liquid soap and paper towels are available and accessible.
• Alcohol-based hand sanitizer is provided where soap and water are not available.
• Persons do not share personal items .
• Precautions are taken to prevent any situations that might bring the infection or infection drainage into contact with companion animals .

Implementation of containment procedures environemntal services

Signs in the appropriate language and educational level are posted prominently around the department

How Does Staph Spread

Many healthy people normally have staph on their skin, in their noses, or other body areas. Most of the time, the germ does not cause an infection or symptoms. This is called being colonized with staph. These people are known as carriers. They can spread staph to others. Some people colonized by staph develop an actual staph infection that makes them sick.

Most staph germs are spread by skin-to-skin contact. They can also be spread when you touch something that has the staph germ on it, such as clothing or a towel. Staph germs can then enter a break in the skin, such as cuts, scratches, or pimples. Usually the infection is minor and stays in the skin. But the infection can spread deeper and affect the blood, bones, or joints. Organs such as the lungs, heart, or brain can also be affected. Serious cases can be life threatening.

Also Check: Signs Of Infection After Tooth Extraction

How To Prevent Staph Infection

When it comes to preventing staph infection , the precautions are anything one would necessarily need for the overall prevention of any form of infection in the body.

Some of the cautious precautionary methods include:

• Ensure that you are washing your hands and legs with soap and water every time you come home from outside. This is precautionary to ensure that you get rid of as much as of the microbes from the body that you have carried around from the outside of the house.
• Shower every day at least once to get rid of any remnants of sweat and bacterial growth and proliferation in the body. It is always suggested to pay extra attention to the intimate areas of the body and the folds and crevices too because those areas are the most prone to the outgrowth of the Staph bacteria. If you are an athlete or you just returned from the gym, shower immediately after.
• Avoid using other peoples personal items like clothes, towels etc. to ensure that you dont necessarily contract any form of infection that could be on those belongings. It is always best to ensure that you always carry your own essentials out to avoid mixing things up.
• If you have fresh wounds and cuts, it is always best advised to keep them covered, either with bandage or even cotton to avoid entry of the bacteria into the wound which has the capability of inducing infection and making the wound worse by delaying the overall healing process.

How Does Mrsa Spread

MRSA is easy to catch. While those who neglect personal hygiene are frequent carriers, even the cleanest person can spread MRSA. If you share personal items such as towels or razors, you can contract it. You might shake the hand of a person carrying MRSA, or you could touch an object shortly after an infected individual and pick it up that way.

Read Also: Is An Infected Wisdom Tooth An Emergency

Antibiotics For Staph Infection

Antibiotics work by killing bacteria. Since the first antibiotic, penicillin, was discovered in the 1920s, hundreds have become available for use. But even as more antibiotics have been developed, certain disease-causing bacteria have become resistant to commonly used antibiotics, meaning those antibiotics are no longer effective at treating infections caused by those bacteria.

Staphylococcus aureus, the most common type of staph, is notorious for developing resistance to antibiotics.

But fortunately for those with staph infections, a number of antibiotics are still effective against it. Some are applied topically to the skin or the insides of the nose, some are taken orally, and some are given as an injection or intravenous infusion.

Your doctor will choose an antibiotic for you based on the location of your infection, how serious it is, and, sometimes, the type of staph you have. In some situations, you might be given a combination of several different antibiotics.

Some commonly used antibiotics for staph include :

Although side effects will depend on the specific medicine you take, antibiotics may cause:

• Yeast infections, due to disrupting the bodys regular way of keeping yeast in check

If youre given an oral antibiotic, be sure to follow the instructions on the product label carefully. Some antibiotics should be taken on an empty stomach, but others can be taken with food, which can help reduce any stomach irritation caused by the drug.

How Are Nasal Staph Infections Treated

Antibiotics treat staph infections. Your doctor might prescribe you oral antibiotics, a topical antibiotic ointment, or both.

If you have MRSA, your doctor will probably prescribe you a stronger antibiotic or even intravenous antibiotics if the infection is severe or not responding to treatment.

important!

Make sure you take the full course of antibiotics as prescribed by your doctor, even if you start to feel better before finishing them. Otherwise, you may not kill all of the bacteria, which can make them resistant to antibiotics.

If you have a large boil or other lesion, you may need to have it drained. Resist the urge to pop or drain it on your own. That can cause the infection to spread.

Mild staph infections often heal on their own without any treatment.

However, some staph infections can quickly become serious and cause certain complications, such as:

• Cellulitis. An infection occurs in the deeper layers of your skin.
• Cavernous sinus thrombosis. This rare but serious complication of nasal or facial infections involves the formation of a blood clot at the base of your brain.
• Potentially life-threatening, this condition is your bodys extreme response to an infection.

Don’t Miss: Best Pain Medicine For Tooth Infection

How Do You Disinfect An Area That Has Had A Staph Breakout

There has been a lot of talk about the importance of disinfecting work for preventing a staph infection. Lets imagine that someone in your family has got a staph infection. If you dont take the necessary measures to stop spreading staph quickly then other members of your family are likely to get a staph infection too. Obviously, you should do everything you can to prevent this type of problem from happening. That means that an area with a staph breakout definitely needs to be disinfected. In this blog, well provide readers with tips for disinfecting an area that has had a staph breakout.

Staph Infections Can Kill

More prevention in healthcare & communities needed

Free Continuing Education on Vital Signs: Epidemiology and Recent Trends in Methicillin-Resistant and in Methicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Bloodstream Infections United States available until May 23, 2020. Register for free on Medscape to access.

Nearly 1 in 10 serious staph infections in 2016 occurred in people who inject drugs such as opioids.

Also Check: Will Clindamycin Treat A Bladder Infection

How Manytypes Of Mrsa Are There

There are two types of MRSA. Healthcare-associated MRSA is found primarily in hospital patients and long-term care residents. Community-associated MRSA, occurs in ordinarily healthy persons who report no contact with healthcare facilities. Gyms, schools, prisons, and other highly-trafficked areas are common sources for CA-MRSA, but it can be difficult to pinpoint the center of an outbreak if its widespread in nature.

Where Can Mrsa Be Found

Its everywhere.MRSA is naturally found on the skin and in the noses of about 2% of healthy people, most of whom have no idea theyre infected. MRSA normally doesnt cause disease unless it enters the body. It can grow in wounds and most often presents as skin irritation, but can cause serious infections. Antibiotics treat bacterial infections but MRSA is resistant to these drugs. The elderly, those with compromised immune systems, and very young children are most at risk.

Also Check: My Iphone Is Infected With Malware

What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Staph Infection On The Skin

Symptoms of a staph infection vary depending on the area of your body where the infection occurs. Staph infections occur most often on your skin. They often look like pimples â red and angry and filled with pus. They may leak fluid. You might think you have some kind of bite or ingrown hair.

Signs and symptoms of staph infection on your skin include:

• Abscesses and boils: These painful sores form under your skin, causing redness and pain.
• Cellulitis: This type of infection causes swollen, red, painful skin and tissue just under your skin.
• Folliculitis: A small pimple-like blister forms under your hair follicle and causes pain.
• Impetigo: Fluid-filled blisters or sores form and rupture, leaving a yellow or brown crust.
• Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome : This serious infection causes skin to peel off all over your body. It usually affects infants and small children.

These types of staph infections often start with areas that are tender, warm and red. As they get worse, you may see pus or drainage, with red areas getting bigger. Some staph infections of the skin can become open wounds.

How Do Staph Infections Spread

Staph bacteria can spread:

• when someone touches a contaminated surface
• from person to person, especially in group living situations . Usually this happens when people with skin infections share personal things like bed linens, towels, or clothing.
• from one area of their body to another, via dirty hands or fingernails

Warm, humid environments can contribute to staph infections, so excessive sweating can increase someone’s chances of developing an infection. People with skin problems like burns or eczema may be more likely to get staph skin infections.

Read Also: How To Cure Tonsil Infection