By Ed Costello

It seems like we hear it more and more lately.  He has staph, or she has staph, or even worse you have staph.  Just what is “Staph”, and what can we do to prevent and treat it?  

First let’s talk about what staph is.  Staphylococcus aureus is a bacteria that may infect many parts of the body, but is most often associated with skin infections.  There are many types of staph, but we are going to discuss the most feared, “MRSA” or Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus.  This type of staph is resistant to many antibiotics and can be difficult get rid of.  One type of MRSA is found out in the community, and the  other is usually found in hospitals, and nursing homes.  The majority of cases are the community acquired type.  

Isn’t MRSA a rare and deadly infection?  Unfortunately MRSA is becoming very common, and is almost epidemic in some areas.  In Hot Spring County most health care providers I have spoken with are seeing MRSA on a daily basis.  Healthy people who seek treatment in a timely manner can usually be treated without any complications.  

So how do people catch MRSA infections?   Coming in close contact with another person who has an MRSA infection is the most common form of transmission.  However it can also be spread by gym equipment, shared clothing, living in crowded places such as dorms, military barracks, or even jails and prisons.   Health care workers are at increased risk of transmission, and may bring MRSA infections home if proper precautions are not taken.  

What precautions should I take?  Good old soap and water is the best prevention.  Using hot water, and antibacterial soap will usually kill the bacteria and prevent the spread of it.  Use of antibacterial gels will also help.  Keeping open wounds covered and clean will help prevent infection as well.  

Ok, so you did your best.  You used the soap, the antibacterial gel, and didn’t share your clothes with anyone.  But you still got an MRSA infection.  You went to see your health care provider about a painful, red, and swollen area that just came up.  You thought it was a spider bite or pimple but it just kept getting bigger.  Now you have a fever and feel sick.  Your provider tells you that you probably have an MRSA infection (only a wound culture can confirm MRSA, but we can usually tell).  

What treatment can you expect?  If the infection is caught early it can usually be treated with an oral antibiotic. In cases where an abscess has formed a minor surgical procedure to remove the infection from the abscess may be necessary.  In more advanced cases hospitalization and Intravenous antibiotics may be needed.  However, you are fortunate and yours is caught early.  You receive a prescription from your provider for antibiotics, and instructions to prevent the spread of MRSA to your family.  You will use the precautions above, and keep the wound covered.  An antibiotic ointment may also be prescribed to help in prevention and healing.  

I hope that this may have helped to take some of the mystery out of MRSA infections for you.  As you can see it is a much more common and treatable illness than most have been led to believe.  If you have further questions about MRSA you can get more information from your health care provider, or you can go to the CDC web site www.CDC.gov.  

(Ed Costello is a Family Practice Physician Assistant at Pinnacle Physicians Group, and is a member of the ancillary staff at HSC Medical Center. )