Staphylococcus Bacteria and Staph Infections
Understanding Staphylococcus Transmission, Diagnosis and Treatment
Sep 14, 2009
Staph infections caused by species of bacteria from the genus Staphylococcus are relatively common and generally not dangerous to humans, but some types of staph bacteria, like those which have been found in recent studies at state beaches and in samples taken from the ocean, can pose a much greater threat.
Staphylococcus Bacteria
The genus name Staphylococcus originates from the Greek and can be roughly translated as “bunch of grapes,” which describes the bacteria’s appearance when looked at under a microscope. There are more than 30 described species in the genus Staphylococcus, including S. aureus. It is believed that as much as 20 percent of the population is a carrier of S. aureus.
In most cases, the bacteria are harmless, but in certain situations, they can cause skin infections ranging from minor to severe. In a worst case scenario, a staph infection may be fatal by causing meningitis, pneumonia, septicemia, or several other life threatening conditions. The bacteria are generally spread through direct, skin-to-skin contact between two people, although the bacteria can also be spread by sharing personal items and, in less frequent cases, through environmental exposure.
Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA and Anitbiotic Resistent Strains of Staph Bacteria
First described in Scotland in 1880, Staphylococcus aureus is the type of staph bacteria about which most people have heard, as it is the most common origin of staph infections. According to a 1999 report from the National Institutes of Health, around 500,000 patients in U.S. hospitals contract a staph infection.
Increasingly, S. aureus has become resistant to antibiotics, making treatment more difficult. According to a 2001 article titled “The changing epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus?” and published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, 40 percent of hospital S. aureus isolates were penicillin resistant in 1950, and, a decade later, the number had risen to 80%.
Diagnosis and Treatment of a Staph Infection
In most cases, staph is diagnosed by sending a culture to the laboratory where it is identified using an enzyme-based tests. The preferred treatment in the United States and many other countries is a penicillinase-resistant penicillin. The antibiotic resistant strain of S. aureus—methicillin-resistant S. aureus or MRSA—is becoming harder and harder to treat, especially after MRSA became a far more prevalent finding in hospital settings in the last decade of the twentieth century. Current effective treatments include clindamycin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, as well as broad-spectrum anti-Gram positive antibiotics like linezolid. In some cases, skin infections caused by staph bacteria can be treated without the use of antibiotics simply by draining the abscess.
Preventing the Spread of Staph Infections
To avoid the spread of staph bacteria, medical professionals suggest common sense and basic hygiene including, but not limited to:
- Frequent Hand Washing
- Covering Wounds with Bandages until Healed
- Not Sharing Personal Items (e.g., towels, razors, etc.)
- The Use of Gloves and Other Protective Layers by Staff Persons in Community Settings
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