What Is The Prognosis For Staph Infections
The prognosis or outcome of staph infections depends upon the type of infection that is present as well as other factors such as the extent to which the infection has spread and the underlying medical condition of the patient. Skin infections and superficial infections, in general, are readily cured with antibiotics. In rare cases, these infections may spread and cause complications, including sepsis . It is important to remember that even after taking antibiotics for a staph infection you can still develop a repeat infection.
Widespread infections such as sepsis have a more guarded prognosis mortality rates range from 20%-40% in cases of Staph aureus infection of the bloodstream. Before antibiotics were available, about 80% of people with S. aureus sepsis died from complications of the condition. People with suppressed immune systems are at increased risk for developing more serious infections.
Staphylococcal food poisoning typically resolves on its own without long-term complications.
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Top 5 Mrsa Antibiotic Therapies For Skin Infections
MRSA is now resistant to many types of antibiotics.
Below are the five commonly prescribed antibiotics for MRSA skin infections, which are commonly picked up in communities as community type MRSA or CA-MRSA.
1. Clindamycin
It has been successfully and widely used for the treatment of soft tissue and skin infections as well as bone, joint and abscesses caused by Staph and MRSA. MRSA is becoming increasingly resistant to clindamycin in the United States.
- Resistance: MRSA is becoming increasingly resistant to clindamycin in the United States.
- Side Effects and Precautions: Diarrhea is the most common side effect, and it can promote C. difficile overgrowth infections in the colon. C. difficile infections appear to occur more frequently with clindamycin than other antibiotics. Other side-effects are pseudomembranous colitis, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, skin rashes and more.
2. Linezolid
Folliculitis is a common type of MRSA skin infection often treated with oral antibiotics.
Approved for use in the year 2000, Linezolid is FDA approved for treating soft tissue and skin infections, including those caused by MRSA. It is often prescribed for CA-MRSA pneumonia and in particular, HA-MRSA pneumonia. Its commonly prescribed to people of all ages and is one of the most expensive treatment options, for a single course costing upwards of $1-2,000 for 20 tablets.
3. Mupirocin
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Who Treats Staph Infections
Primary care doctors, such as internists, family medicine physicians, and pediatricians, can treat a mild case of staph. In some cases, your primary care doctor may refer you to a dermatologist for staph infections of the skin.
If your infection progresses or you develop complications, you might have to see an infectious disease specialist or a surgeon.
If you experience severe symptoms, such as a red or tender area of skin going numb, a reddened area becoming larger or hard to the touch, worsening pain, or high fever or chills, you should seek emergency medical attention at once.
Skin infections that occur in or around the eyes should also be treated as an emergency.
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How Can I Prevent A Staph Infection
Prevention depends on the type of infection. To reduce your risk of a staph infection, you should follow these tips:
- Skin: To prevent a staph infection of the skin, you should practice good hygiene, keep cuts clean, and wash your hands and body often. Avoid sharing towels and personal items with others.
- Food poisoning: You can reduce your risk of food poisoning by handling food safely, ensuring that itâs cooked properly and refrigerating perishable food within two hours.
- Toxic shock syndrome: You should change tampons every four to eight hours and use tampons with the lowest effective absorbency.
- Mastitis: Breastfeeding people should try to empty the breast completely during every feeding. Whenever possible, let nipples air dry.
Data Extraction And Quality Assessment
A total of 332 eligible articles was identified from the first literature search and 53 references in the second search . The abstracts of all articles identified by the literature searches were screened by two reviewers for clinical trials concerned with the treatment of patients with infections caused by MRSA that had been published as full papers in peer-review journals: any differences were resolved by discussion and consensus. The full papers of studies meeting these criteria were obtained and they were assessed by both reviewers, principally in terms of design criteria again, any differences were resolved by discussion and consensus. In the event of uncertainty or failure to agree, studies were referred to the guideline development group. Studies identified as being eligible for further consideration were referred to members of the guideline development group who determined whether they should be included or excluded and independently performed data extraction on the included studies. The full papers of all studies which were deemed eligible for inclusion were reviewed in order to identify those that fulfilled the criteria for inclusion reasons for exclusion were recorded . Two review authors independently performed data extraction from the included studies recording information on study design, type of intervention, presence of controls, type of targeted behaviour, participants, setting, methods , primary and secondary outcome measures and results.
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How To Use Mupirocin Nasal Ointment
- Before you start the treatment, read the manufacturers printed information leaflet from inside the pack. It will give you more information about the nasal ointment.
- Wash your hands before you use the ointment. Use your little finger or a cotton wool bud to apply a small amount of ointment to the inside of each nostril. Press the sides of your nose together for a short while to allow the ointment to spread around the inside of your nostrils. Use it in this way two or three times a day for five days. It is likely that you will be tested a day or so after you have finished using the ointment, to make sure it has worked. If there are still some bacteria remaining in your nose, you will be asked to repeat the treatment.
- For mupirocin to work properly it should be applied regularly during the course of treatment. If you forget to use it at your usual time, apply it as soon as you remember and then go on as before.
- If you are due to have an operation or any dental treatment, please tell the person carrying out the treatment that you are using mupirocin nasal ointment.
Who Is At Risk For Staph Infections
Anyone can develop a staph infection, although certain groups of people are at greater risk, including newborn infants, breastfeeding women, and people with chronic conditions such as diabetes, cancer, vascular disease, and lung disease. Injecting drug users, those with skin injuries or disorders, intravenous catheters, surgical incisions, and those with a weakened immune system due either to disease or a result of immune suppressing medications all have an increased risk of developing staph infections.
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What Should I Know About Mrsa Treatments
Milder infections can be treated with oral antibiotics . More severe infections may require intravenous antibiotic treatment. It is very important to take all of the antibiotics exactly as your healthcare provider prescribes.
You should also call your provider if an infection doesnât start to clear up within a few days of taking a prescribed antibiotic. You may need to go to the hospital for stronger intravenous antibiotics.
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Who Are These Guidelines For
Any healthcare practitioner may use these guidelines and adapt them for their use. It is anticipated that users will include clinical staff. It is expected that these guidelines will also raise awareness of MRSA and the complexities of its treatment amongst clinicians who care for patients with infections. The guideline may also be read by patients with MRSA infection, helping them to understand which treatments may be appropriate options for them.
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How Can I Prevent Mrsa Infections
You can lower your risk of getting MRSA by taking these steps:
- Keep wounds clean and bandaged.
- Donât share personal items like towels and razors.
- Place a towel on a locker room bench before sitting on it naked.
- Regularly wash sheets, towels and workout clothes in the recommended water temperature. Dry everything in a dryer. You donât need to use bleach or wash potentially contaminated items separately.
- Shower immediately after working out or participating in activities that increase your risk of MRSA exposure.
- Use disinfecting sprays that kill germs to wipe down high-touch areas like light switches, remote controls and athletic equipment. Check labels to find disinfectants that kill staph bacteria.
- Wash hands with hot water and soap for at least 20 seconds. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer when hand-washing isnât possible.
S. aureus is estimated to cause approximately 2 percent of all bacterial meningitis cases from a hematogenous or postoperative source. Eighty-four percent of patients with postoperative S. aureus meningitis had a catheter in place, typically a shunt or epidural catheter.27 Such devices need to be removed and replaced after the infection has cleared.
S. aureus causes about 10 to 15 percent of brain abscesses and 60 to 90 percent of epidural abscesses and septic venous thromboses. Surgical or radiographic drainage usually is required, but some small abscesses in patients without neurologic deficits have responded to medical therapy.28
When Should I Call The Doctor
- Skin infections seem to be passing from one family member to another, or if two or more family members have skin infections at the same time.
- You think your child has a serious wound that might be infected.
- A stye doesn’t go away in a few days.
- A minor infection gets worse for example, your child starts feeling feverish or ill, or the area spreads and gets very red and hot.
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Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome
Children with staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome generally need to be treated in the hospital with antibiotics, intravenous fluids, skin creams or ointments, and pain medicines.
Because SSSS causes large areas of skin to peel off, similar to a scalding burn, kids with this condition are often treated in the burn unit or intensive care unit of the hospital.
Antibiotic Resistance Of A Staph Infection
Staph bacteria are extremely adaptable, and lots of varieties have become resistant to one or more antibiotics. For instance, only about 10 percent these dayss staph infections can be cured with penicillin. The development of antibiotic-resistant pressures of staph bacteria often referred to as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains has actually led to making use of IV antibiotics, such as vancomycin, with the potential for more side effects, such as vancomycin.
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Can Staph Infections Be Prevented
A couple of recent outbreaks among football players began when one team member had a boil and the infection was spread to other team members. You can take steps to help prevent staph infections. Any time you have a cut or skin breakdown, wash it with soap and water, over-the- counter hypochlorous acid or chlorhexadine, keep it clean and dry, and keep it covered. A diluted bleach bath twice a week may be helpful to prevent staph skin infections.
A staph infection is contagious if the wound is weeping or draining and if people share towels or other items that are contaminated. Wearing foot coverings in locker rooms and other commonly used areas can help prevent contamination.
If the sore becomes unusually painful or red, get prompt medical attention. If red lines develop, thats a sign the infection is spreading and needs immediate medical attention.
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What Are The Symptoms Of Mrsa Infection
MRSA can cause a skin rash or infection that looks like a spider bite or pimples. The red, swollen bumps may feel warm and be tender to touch. The rash may ooze.
MRSA can also cause deeper infections in different parts of the body. In severe infections the bacterium may invade the bloodstream, a situation which would be called a bloodstream infection. Symptoms of bloodstream infection include fever and chills.
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What Can I Do To Help Relieve Symptoms Of A Staph Infection
Itâs important to seek medical help if you think you might have a staph infection. To relieve the symptoms of staph infection on your skin, clean the affected area with soap and water. You can try cold compresses and over-the-counter pain relievers to help with discomfort.
In cases of food poisoning, drink plenty of liquids while youâre recovering to reduce your risk of dehydration.
Massage and warm compresses can relieve the symptoms of mastitis.
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Staph Infection In The Body
When staph infections occur in areas of your body other than your skin, it causes certain conditions with different symptoms of their own. These conditions and their symptoms include:â
- Food poisoning: Symptoms can be severe and include vomiting and diarrhea.
- Mastitis: Occurs mostly in people who are breastfeeding, mastitis leads to inflammation, pain and abscesses.
- Staph bacteria in your bloodstream can cause blood poisoning, also called sepsis. Symptoms include fever and dangerously low blood pressure .
- Toxic shock syndrome: A severe form of septicemia, toxic shock syndrome symptoms include fever, muscle aches and a rash that looks like sunburn.
- Endocarditis: This infection of the lining of your heart muscle is often caused by staph infection. Your heart valves and actual heart muscle may also be affected. Symptoms include fever, sweating, weight loss and fast heart rate.
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Is There A Test For Mrsa
- You would not usually be tested for MRSA unless you have an active infection. If you have a skin infection, your doctor may take a sample of the area to find out what bacteria is causing your infection. This is called taking a culture. The lab will then test the bacteria to find out which antibiotic is best for you. If your MRSA infections keep coming back again and again, your doctor may test you and your family members to see if you are carriers. In this case, the doctor would take a culture from the nose or other areas where MRSA can be found.
Medication For Staphylococcal Infections
Doctors at NYU Langone often manage staphylococcal, or staph, skin infections with antibiotics and, whenever possible, drainage. Treating an infection early reduces the odds that it might spread to other parts of the body.
The type of infection a person has determines the medication given. For example, if staph has caused a very minor skin infection, a doctor may prescribe a topical antibiotic cream or gel.
Other illnesses caused by staphsuch as a painful rash called impetigo or cellulitis, an infection of the deep layers of the skinare treated with antibiotics taken by mouth. NYU Langone doctors use the results of lab testing to identify the type of staph causing the infection, then choose the appropriate antibiotic.
Doctors often prescribe antibiotics for 7 to 10 days, although they may be taken for longer periods, depending on how the infection responds. Most people who take antibiotics for a staph infection feel better in two or three days. Still, it is important to finish the prescription. Otherwise, the medication may not kill all of the staph bacteria and the infection can return. If the infection comes back, it can be more severe and difficult to treat.
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Prevention Of Staphylococcal Infection
Due to widespread antibiotic resistance, it is better to prevent staphylococcal infection where possible.
- The most effective way is to wash hands often, and before and after touching broken skin.
- It is also important to clear bacteria colonising the nostrils and under the fingernails with either antibiotic ointment or petroleum jelly several times daily for one week of each month.
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What Types Of Health Care Professionals Treat Staph Infections
Staph infections may initially be treated by primary care practitioners including pediatricians, internists, and family medicine doctors. An emergency medicine specialist may treat the patient if he or she seeks care in an emergency department or urgent care center. Sometimes with skin infections, people seek treatment from a dermatologist. For more severe infections, bloodstream infections, or infections of the internal organs, a number of medical specialists may be required, including infectious disease specialists, cardiologists, critical care specialists, pulmonologists, and surgeons.
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Enhancing Healthcare Team Outcomes
The key to managing MRSA infections is to prevent them in the first place. Over the years many guidelines have been issued, and most hospitals have a team of infectious disease experts as part of the hospital interprofessional team who perform surveillance and monitor for outbreaks of MRSA. Besides the standard precautions, the CDC recommends contact precautions. The patient should be in an isolated room if available everyone should gown and glove when coming into contact with the patient. The transport of MRSA patients should be minimized and dedicated medicated equipment should be used on them. Further, environmental measures like cleaning and disinfecting the room are important. In addition, the hospital must have a surveillance policy, when to remove a patient from isolation and report the infection to the state. Many states now make it mandatory to report all new MRSA cases. Finally, there should be a hospital committee that oversees the prescription of antibiotics and their indications and who can prescribe them.
Outcomes
