Staph (Staphylococcus) infections

Staph infections are caused by staphylococcus bacteria, types of germs commonly found on the skin or in the nose of even healthy individuals. Most of the time, these bacteria cause no problems or result in relatively minor skin infections.

• The generic name Staphylococcus is derived from the Greek word "staphyle," meaning bunch of grapes, and "kokkos," meaning granule. The bacteria, when seen under a microscope, appear like a branch of grapes or berries.
• There are more than 30 types of staph bacteria, but the most common is Staphylococcus aureus. About 30 percent of healthy adults have S. aureus in their nose, and about 20 percent have it on their skin.
  • The Staphylococcus aureus bacteria may come in two forms. ** The first is a skin infection, commonly marked by inflammation, the appearance of pus and rashes.
  • The second is an invasive infection, causing a myriad of symptoms such as a high fever, diarrhea and muscle pain.
• These bacteria can also be transmitted from person to person, can live on inanimate objects such as pillowcases or towels, survive drying, extremes of temperature, stomach acid and high levels of salt.
• The staph infections range from a simple boil to antibiotic-resistant infections to flesh-eating infections. The difference between all these is the strength of the infection, how deep it goes, how fast it spreads, and how treatable it is with antibiotics. The antibiotic-resistant infections are more common in North America, because of our overuse of antibiotics

Staph infections can turn deadly if the bacteria invade deeper into your body, entering your bloodstream, joints, bones, lungs or heart. A growing number of otherwise healthy people are developing life-threatening staph infections.

Treatment usually involves antibiotics and drainage of the infected area. However, some staph infections no longer respond to common antibiotics.

Symptoms

Staph infections can range from minor skin problems to endocarditis, a life-threatening infection of the inner lining of your heart (endocardium). As a result, signs and symptoms of staph infections vary widely, depending on the location and severity of the infection.

• Skin infections:
  • Boils -- The most common type of staph infection, is a pocket of pus that develops in a hair follicle (folliculitis) or oil gland. The skin over the infected area usually becomes red and swollen. If a boil breaks open, it will probably drain pus. Boils occur most often under the arms or around the groin or buttocks.
  • Carbuncles are a red swollen, painful cluster of boils that are connected to each other deeper under the skin. The bacteria can cause infection by entering the skin through a hair follicle, small scrape, or puncture, although sometimes there is no obvious point of entry. Areas most likely to be affected are the face, back of the neck, armpits, thighs and buttocks.
  • Impetigo -- This is a contagious, often painful rash featuring large blisters that may ooze fluid and develop a honey-colored crust.
  • Cellulitis — an infection of the deeper layers of skin & causes skin redness and swelling on the surface of your skin. Sores (ulcers) or areas of oozing discharge may develop, too.
  • Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome. Toxins produced as a result of a staph infection may lead to staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome. Affecting mostly babies and children, this condition features fever, a rash and sometimes blisters. When the blisters break, the top layer of skin comes off — leaving a red, raw surface that looks like a burn.
  • Wound Infections -- usually crop up about two or more days after a skin injury or surgery.
• Food poisoning:
  • Staph bacteria are one of the most common causes of food poisoning. Symptoms come on quickly, usually within hours of eating a contaminated food. Symptoms usually disappear quickly, too, often lasting just half a day. It doesn’t usually cause a fever & signs and symptoms include:
    • Nausea & vomiting
    • Diarrhea
    • Dehydration
    • Low blood pressure

Invasive Staph Infections

Typically cause significant illness that may include fever, fast breathing or shortness of breath, fatigue, and sometimes confusion or disorientation.

• Septicemia (Sepsis): One of the most dangerous outcomes of staph and can spread throughout the body, affecting the function of internal organs.
  • Also known as blood poisoning, occurs when staph bacteria enters a person's bloodstream.
  • When this happens, the person may develop a type of infection that affects the entire body. This infection can lead to septic shock — a life-threatening episode with extremely low blood pressure.
  • A fever and low blood pressure are signs of septicemia.
  • The bacteria can travel to locations deep within the body, to produce infections affecting:
    • Internal organs, such as your brain, heart or lungs
    • Bones and muscles, such as osteomyelitis, and pyomyositis
    • Surgically implanted devices, such as artificial joints or cardiac pacemakers
  • It is more common in very young children, older adults, and those with chronic diseases or weakened immune systems.
• Endocarditis happens when bacteria affect areas in the heart. If it’s not treated quickly, the infection can damage or destroy the heart valves.
• Toxic shock syndrome is a life-threatening condition resulting from toxins produced by some strains of staph bacteria and has been linked to certain types of tampons, skin wounds and surgery. It usually develops suddenly and can quickly lead to organ failure and even death. Signs & symptoms include:
  • A sudden high fever (102° or higher)
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • A rash on your palms and soles that resembles sunburn
  • Confusion
  • Muscle aches
  • Diarrhea
  • Abdominal pain
• Septic arthritis: Often cased by staph infection targeting the knees, shoulders, hips and fingers or toes.
  • Signs and symptoms may include:
    • Joint swelling
    • Severe pain in the affected joint
    • Fever
• Pneumonia: predominantly affects people with underlying lung disease including those on mechanical ventilators.

Treatment for Staph Infections

• Antibiotics are the main line of treatment for most staph infections. The choice of antibiotic depends in part on how serious the infection is and the type of staph. Some minor skin infections will heal on their own with no drug treatment.
  • Staph infections are treated with topical, oral, or intravenous antibiotics, depending upon the type of infection.
• In addition to antibiotics, sometimes surgery is also needed to drain a wound, abscess, or boil.
• Invasive staph infections usually require hospitalization for IV antibiotic treatment to fight the infection and other supportive treatment to help heal.

Risk Factors

• Staph infections are contagious until the infection has resolved.
• Status of immune system -- either from a disease of medication that suppress the immune system
• Underlying health conditions -- insulin dependent diabetes, HIV/AIDS patients, those on dialysis for kidney failure, cancer patients on chemotherapy or radiation, those with respiratory illnesses such as cystic fibrosis or emphysema
• Current or recent hospitalization -- Despite vigorous attempts to eradicate them, staph bacteria remain present in hospitals, where they attack the most vulnerable
• Invasive devices -- Staph bacteria can travel along medical tubing that connects the outside world to internal organs (dialysis tubing, urinary catheters, feeding & breathing tubes, and intravascular catheters)
• Contact sports -- through cuts, abrasions and skin-to-skin contact, as well as in locker rooms through shared razors, towels, uniforms or equipment.
• Group living conditions -- like college dorms where personal things like bed linens, towels or clothing are shared.
• Unsanitary food preparation -- improper had washing

Drug-Resistant Infections:

See also: Died from an Antibiotic / Antimicrobial Resistant Infection in the Cause of death portal.

• MRSA:
  • Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of staph infection that’s resistant to commonly used antibiotics.
    • Although the name is taken from methicillin, an antibiotic originally used to treat staph infections, MRSA bacteria have actually become resistant to other antibiotics as well. The reason for their immunity is the presence of an extra gene that helps fight off penicillin-derived antibiotics whenever they are administered.
  • Most cases of hospital-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA) occur in people who’ve been in hospitals or other healthcare facilities within the past 3 months or on long-term antibiotic use.
  • But so-called community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA), which affects healthy people outside of hospitals, is also a public health issue.
  • Overuse and misuse of antibiotics are contributors to the development of MRSA. It's important that antibiotics are taken only when necessary (not for viral infections like the flu or colds) and when they are prescribed by a doctor.
  • Also, always finish the full course of antibiotics, even if the symptoms have improved, to prevent the development of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, such as MRSA.
  • According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the rates of invasive MRSA infections in healthcare settings are declining, with the number of infections that began in hospitals dropping 54 percent between 2005 and 2011. But in spite of this good news, MRSA remains a major patient threat.
  • Risk factors for an HA-MRSA infection include current or recent hospitalization, living in a nursing home or long-term antibiotic use.
• VISA/VRSA:
  • Vancomycin Intermediate Staphylococcus Aureus/Vancomycin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus are specific types of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.
  • As of October 2010, all VISA and VRSA isolates have been susceptible to other Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs.
  • Persons who develop this type of staph infection may have underlying health conditions (such as diabetes and kidney disease), tubes going into their bodies (such as catheters), previous infections with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and recent exposure to vancomycin and other antimicrobial agents.
  • Staph bacteria are classified as VISA or VRSA based on laboratory tests.

Prevention:

• Practicing excellent infection prevention techniques, such as washing hands regularly, refraining from sharing personal items, and keeping wounds covered, clean, and dry can help prevent its spread.

Statistics

• About 25-30% of people normally carry staph in the nose, mouth, genitals, or anal area, and don’t have symptoms of an infection.
• More than 1.6 million Americans are diagnosed with sepsis each year. In the United States, sepsis is the leading cause of death in hospitals.
• The research, conducted by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, also found that as many as 119,000 hospital patients each year may die from the tough-to-treat strain of bacterium, called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
• Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is one of the most important antibiotic resistant bacteria in the United States.
• Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) is an important infection with an incidence rate ranging from 20 to 50 cases/100,000 population per year. Between 10% and 30% of these patients will die from SAB.
• According to the CDC, there were more than 80,000 invasive MRSA infections and 11,285 related deaths in 2011. (CNN - MRSA Fast Facts. Updated 29 Jun 2018
• Staph endocarditis causes over 94,000 life-threatening infections yearly and has a death rate of about 50%.
• The typical staph infection called staphylococcal infective endocarditis, which arrects the hear valves and is the most serious complication of staph bloodstream infection, kills approximately 20,000 Americans each year.
• Rates of life-threatening MRSA infections in health care settings are now declining, with 9,000 fewer deaths reported in hospital patients in 2011 vs. in 2005.

Notables who died of Staph Infections

1. Ranker - Famous People Who Died of Staph infections (9 listed)
2. Wikipedia - Deaths from staph infection (13 listed, including 4 for MRSA)

• Roy Richard Scheider (1932-2008) American actor, amateur boxer; (Wikipedia - Roy Scheider): In 2004 Scheider was found to have multiple myeloma, and he received a bone marrow transplant to treat the cancer in June 2005. He died on February 10, 2008, in Little Rock, Arkansas, at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences Hospital
• Jack Snow (1943-2006) - NFL football player; (Wikipedia - Jack Snow (American football)) developed a staph infection in November 2005 and died at age 62 as a result of complications.
• Humfry Payne (1902-1936) - Archaeologist; (Wikipedia - Humbry Payne) His career came to an early end when he died from an infection of staphylococcus in the Evangelismos Hospital in Athens. He is buried in the cemetery of Agios Georgios (St George) at Mycenae where his tombstone bears the words Mourn not for Adonais.
• Barber Conable (1922-2003) - US Congressman, President of the World Bank; (Wikipedia - Barber Conable) He died from a staphylococcus infection in 2003, at his winter home in Sarasota, Florida.
• Hank Garland (1930-2004) - Musician; (Wikipedia - Hank Garland) He died of a staph infection in 2004.
• Ira Gollobin (1911-2008) - Civil rights & immigration attorney; died in 2008 from a staph infection in his blood & lungs (Wikipedia - Ira Bollobin).
• Kevin McQuay (1949-2005) - Australian entrepreneur; died from heart attack caused by a staph infection. (Wikipedia - Kevin McQuay)
• Buzz Westfall (1944-2003) - American lawyer & politician; (Wikipedia - Buzz Westfall) He died, while in office, of Staphylococcus aureus meningitis.
• Denver Randleman (1920-2003) - Staff sergeant (US Army), equipment dealer, businessman
• William Rory Gallagher (1948-1995) - Musician, songwriter, bandleader, producer; (Wikipedia - Rory Gallagher) He needed a liver transplant & was in intensive care for 13 weeks. While waiting to be transferred to a convalescent home, his health suddenly worsened when he contracted a staphylococcal (MRSA) infection. Gallagher's body was buried in St Oliver's Cemetery, on the Clash Road just outside Ballincollig near Cork City, Ireland. The grave's headstone is in the image of an award he received in 1972 for International Guitarist of the Year.

Resources & Additional Reading

• Mayo Clinic - Staph infections
• WebMD - Staph Infections of the Skin
• Everyday Health - Staph Infection: From Minor Skin Infection to Life-Threatening Emergencies. by Julie Marks, Medically Reviewed by Sanjai Sinha, MD
• CDC - VISA/VRSA in Healthcare Settings
• Familydoctor.org - Toxic Shock Syndrome
• Penn Medicine - Staph Infections: What you should Know
• KidsHealth - Staph Infections. Reviewed by Rupal Christine Gupta, MD, June 2014
• https://www.healthline.com/health/mrsa Healtline - MRSA (Staph) Infection]
• CDC - Invasive Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA/MSSA) Infection Tracking
• NCBI - Predictors of mortality in Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia. By: van Hal SJ, Jensen SO, Vaska VL, Esedido BA, Peterson DL, Gosbell IB. Apr 2012
• Wikipedia - Staphylococcal infection
• Mercola - What is a Staph Infection and How Does it Develop?
• Dr. Axe - Staph Infection Symptoms, Causes & Natural Treatments. By Jullian Levy, CHHC, 29 Oct 2016
• TimeLifeStyle - Staph infection - Signs, symptoms, Stages & Treatment. By Paul Becker. 14 Apr 2018
• Health & Symptoms - Staph Infection Causes. By Janet Hamilton