How Are Staph Infections Treated? Most small staph skin infections can be treated at home: Soak the affected area in warm water or apply warm, moist washcloths. Use a cloth or towel only once when you soak or clean an area of infected skin.
Take a bath or shower often, be sure to use soap to clean your body while showering or bathing. Do not share towels, wash cloths, razors, or other personal items.
Most cases of staph infection on the skin can be treated with a topical antibiotic (applied to your skin). Your healthcare provider may also drain a boil or abscess by making a small incision (cut) to let the pus out.
Avoid sharing personal items such as towels, sheets, razors, clothing and athletic equipment. Staph infections can spread on objects, as well as from person to person. Wash clothing and bedding. Staph bacteria can spread on clothing, towels and bedding.
Staph bacteria are killed by cooking, but the toxins are not destroyed and will still be able to cause illness.
"The most serious common infection that you can acquire from a shower is MRSA, or methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus," said McKenzie. "This can cause abscesses in the skin that may require treatment with antibiotics or surgical drainage."
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.
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 infections become more serious when they go deeper in the body, entering the bloodstream, joints, lungs, or heart. These are known as invasive staph infections.
The temperature range for growth of S. aureus is 7–48°C, with an optimum of 37°C. S. aureus is resistant to freezing and survives well in food stored below -20°C; however, viability is reduced at temperatures of -10 to 0°C.
Epsom salt is not a substitute for prescribed medication. Hot water and salt solutions can worsen some infections such as Staph infection.
Alternative Remedies Some people apply substances with reported antimicrobial properties, such as tea tree oil, apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, eucalyptus essential oil, oregano essential oil, and others to skin infections to help them heal.
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.
Keep the infected area covered with clean, dry bandages. Pus from infected wound is very infectious.
Diluted bleach baths are sometimes used to treat serious skin problems, including hard-to-control eczema and/or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections.
Is it safe to work with someone who has a staph or MRSA infection? It is safe to work with them as long as their wound is kept clean, dry, and covered. Who should be restricted from work?
Recurrent infections occur in nearly half of all patients with S. aureus SSTI. 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.
Staph infections are caused by staphylococcus bacteria. These germs can live on contaminated implanted medical devices and improperly cleaned needles, such as those used for tattoos and injecting drugs. If an area of your skin is broken, skin-to-skin contact or touching contaminated objects may also lead to infection.
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.
The pus must drain for the infection to heal. You may use warm compresses to “ripen” the abscess, but DO NOT try to pop or puncture the abscess yourself. If your abscess is not draining on its own, your doctor may help the pus to drain through a small incision.
Elevate the area — Elevating the arm or leg above the level of the heart can help to reduce swelling and speed healing. Keep the area clean and dry — It is important to keep the infected area clean and dry.
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).
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). MRSA was first identified in the 1960's and was mainly found in hospitals and nursing homes.
Even healthy people often carry these bacteria, experiencing no related issues most of the time (or only minor infections). However, if the staphylococcus bacteria manage to enter a person's bloodstream, lungs, heart, joints, or bones, a staph infection can become a serious concern.