 | Holly Alexander, PhD is a clinical scientist in the Via Christi Regional Medical Center Laboratory. She received her PhD from the University of Connecticut and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Medical and Public Health Microbiology at the California Department of Health Services in Berkeley, Calif. She is a diplomat of the American Board of Medical Microbiology. She can be reached at Holly_Alexander@via-christi.org |
Health & Medicine
2001-11-01 14:21:00
What is staph infection?
Question: What is staph infection?
Answer: S. aureus can cause a number of types of infection. Skin and wound infections are most common, but it also can cause bone and joint infections and blood stream infections. Blood stream infections usually are the result of release of organisms from another infected site, so it is important for a physician to determine and treat the source of the infection.Question: I am told you can only get it in a hospital. Is this correct?Answer: No, you can (and probably already have) had staph infections that you got after you had an accident or had some damage to your skin such as a cut or insect bite. This may happen anywhere: at home, at work, at play, or in the hospital. Usually these infections don't spread; however, S. aureus can be a very aggressive organism, especially in those who are immunocompromised. In addition, S. aureus produces a number of toxins that can have severe effects such as Toxic Shock Toxin or enterotoxins that cause one type of food poisoning.Question: Can you get rid of it?Answer: Staphylococcal infections can be treated with several types antibiotics However, there is a great deal of concern about antibiotic resistance in this organism. Currently many immunocompromised patients and some individuals in long-term care facilities are colonized with staphylococci resistant to methacillin, the class of drug usually used to treat infections. Although they remain susceptible to vancomycin, physicians and laboratories throughout the world are monitoring for resistance to this antibiotic.
