1 Answer

Types of Staph Infection
There are over thirty types of staph bacteria, or Staphylococcus, but Staphylococcus aureus is the most common type. A staph infection can cause a wide range of uncomfortable and scary health conditions, including skin infections, pneumonia, food poisoning, toxic shock syndrome, blood poisoning. The staph bacteria usually causes skin infections which start as small boils or blisters. The boils grow around a hair follicle or oil gland, usually near the arms or groin area. If left untreated, these red, swollen bumps can become cellulitis, which is a swollen, raw patch of skin, or impetigo, which turns infected skin into a flaky crust.

Which type do you have out of the 30?  Do you know? Did a doctor diagnose it? What did he/she tell you?

TREATMENT 

Most skin staph infections can be treated by having a healthcare provider drain the infected abscess or boil, without the need for antibiotics. However, many still must be treated with antibiotics. Few antibiotics are available to treat more serious staph infections. These include:

• Vancomycin (Vancocin, Vancoled)


• Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Bactrim DS, Septra, Septra DS)


• Linezolid (Zyvox)

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. 

Other treatments may be given for more serious infections. These treatments, given in the hospital, may include supplemental oxygen and intravenous medication. In cases of kidney failure, dialysis may be needed