What Is a Staph Infection?
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Medically reviewed by Josephine Hessert, DO
Staphylococcus—also called staph—is a type of bacteria that causes a wide range of infections if it spreads into your bloodstream or internal tissues. Staph infections are very contagious and can spread through direct contact. Your risk of these infections increases if you’re hospitalized or work in a hospital, have a chronic condition, or recently had surgery. Fortunately, there are steps you can take time prevent getting an infection.
The symptoms of a staph infection depend on where the bacteria spread. Skin and tissue staph infections are the most common, though staph can also spread to your blood, heart, or other organs, causing serious diseases. There are several treatments available to reduce your symptoms, but your exact treatment plan will depend on the severity of your infection.
Types of Staph Infections
There are more than 30 types of staph bacteria. Staphylococcus aureus, or S. aureus is the strain that causes the most infections. Each type of S. aureus is categorized based on how effective certain antibiotics can treat them:
Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA): MRSA bacteria are resistant to methicillin antibiotics, making them more difficult to treat. MRSA most commonly spreads in hospital or clinical environments.
Methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA): This type of infection most commonly affects the skin. Unlike MRSA, methicillin antibiotics can treat this type.
Vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (VISA): VISA is a type of staph infection that’s somewhat resistant to the antibiotic Vancocin (vancomycin). This infection is most common in those who’ve had surgery, catheters, or a previous infection with MRSA.
Vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA): These bacteria are completely resistant to Vancocin (vancomycin). Like VISA, VRSA infections are typically a complication of surgery or catheter use and are more prevalent in people who have an underlying lung disease.
Symptoms
Staph infections range in severity from mild to life-threatening. The symptoms you have depend on the body system that’s affected by the bacteria.
Skin Symptoms
Most staph infections affect the skin. Typical signs of these infections are pus-filled boils or pimples that appear anywhere on your body. Over time, these boils can become swollen and burst. Some of the most common types of skin-related staph infections include:
Impetigo: Mostly affects young children and causes sores around the mouth or nose or on the limbs, which can break, drain pus, and form honey-colored scabs
Cellulitis: Causes redness, inflammation, and pain on the skin that is warm to the touch
Folliculitis: Affects the hair follicles and causes redness, itchiness, and soreness
Blood Symptoms
Also known as bacteremia or sepsis, staph infections of the blood are severe and life-threatening. They cause at least one of the following symptoms:
Elevated heart rate or weak pulse
Confusion or disorientation
Severe pain or aches
Chills or shivers
Difficulty breathing
Clammy or sweaty skin
Digestive Symptoms
Staph bacteria can also cause food poisoning, leading to:
Heart Symptoms
Staph infection of the heart, or endocarditis, causes inflammation of the heart valves. This rare, dangerous condition causes:
Fever
Chills
Irregular or rapid heart rate
Cough
Pain in the muscles, back, or joints
Difficulty breathing
Heart murmur
Other Symptoms
Staph infections can also affect other systems in your body including your breasts, bones, and lungs. As a result, you might experience the following symptoms:
Breasts: Can spread if you're breastfeeding and cause swelling, redness, pain in the breast, and flu-like symptoms
Bones: Causes pain, swelling, redness, chills, and fever
Lungs: May lead to pneumonia which can cause persistent cough, high fever, chills, chest pain, and difficulty breathing
Causes
The bacteria that cause staph infections, S. aureus, occur in the nasal passages or on the skin, causing no problems in most cases. Infections happen when these bacteria enter the bloodstream—via cuts or wounds or by mouth—and your immune system isn’t able to fight them off.
There are several ways that staph bacteria spreads. You can come into direct contact with the infection if you touch a person's pus or skin, infected surfaces, or objects like towels, razors, clothing, or doorknobs. In some cases, contaminated food can also spread the infection.
Risk Factors
Your chances of developing a staph infection are higher if you:
Work in a hospital or were recently hospitalized
Are using a catheter, breathing tube, or feeding tube
Have a chronic condition like diabetes, cancer, lung disease, or HIV
Are undergoing chemotherapy
Have an implant, such as a pacemaker or artificial joint
Are on dialysis, a common kidney treatment to clean your blood
Use injection drugs
Have severe or extensive burns on your body
Play contact sports or share athletic equipment
Diagnosis
The way your healthcare provider approaches diagnosis for staph infections also depends on the part of the body that’s infected. Their goal is to figure out what’s causing the symptoms and rule out other possible causes, such as diabetes, wound infections, and certain heart problems.
When you go in for an appointment with your provider, they will ask about your medical history and perform a physical exam. They will likely also use other tests to make a diagnosis, including:
Bacterial culture: Takes a sample of your skin, stool, breastmilk, or nasal or throat swab to test for staph bacteria
DNA or RNA tests: Tests, such as real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), are newer methods to detect signs of bacterial genetics (DNA or RNA) from tissue, blood, or fluid samples
Echocardiogram: A form of imaging that looks at blood flow in the heart to check for staph infections in the heart
Computerized tomography (CT) scan: If the provider thinks the infection may have spread to other organs, they can detect bacteria by using this test to produce detailed images of your organs
Chest X-ray: Chest imaging can check for fluid build-up in the lungs which may occur as a result of a lung staph infection
Treatment
Healthcare providers prescribe antibiotics to treat staph infections. In some cases, additional treatments may help reduce symptoms. In severe cases, you may need to be hospitalized.
Topical Antibiotics
For some skin staph infections, you can apply antibiotic creams or ointments directly to the wound. These treatments are available over the counter or with a prescription. The most common creams include Fucidin (fucidic acid) and Bactoban (mupirocin).
Oral Antibiotics
For staph infections that affect other parts of the body, healthcare providers prescribe antibiotic medication that you can take by mouth. The most common antibiotics inlcude:
Bactocil (oxacillin)
Kefzol (cefazolin)
Nallpen (nafcillin)
Avelox (moxifloxacin)
Rifadin (rifampin)
Firvanq (vancomycin)
Zyvox (linezolid)
Intravenous (IV) Antibiotic Therapy
In severe or complicated cases, such as when the infection has spread to multiple body systems, you may need to take antibiotics in the hospital through an IV. These treatments are extensive and can last up to 4 to 6 weeks.
Fluid Drainage
If you have an infected wound or severe boils, your healthcare provider may drain the fluid to reduce pain and inflammation. Keep in mind: you should not do this on your own. Fluid drainage should only be done by a licensed professional in a hospital or clinical environment.
How to Prevent a Staph Infection
The goal of preventing a staph infection is to limit exposure to the bacteria. Several strategies and lifestyle changes can prevent you from experiencing symptoms, including:
Frequently washing your hands, especially if touching potentially contaminated surfaces
Wearing gloves and keeping your hands clean if you work in a hospital or clinical environment
Not sharing athletic equipment or cleaning it off before and after use
Preparing food safely and fully cooking it
Properly cleaning and disinfecting cuts or wounds on your skin
Keeping cuts or wounds covered with sterile bandages
Complications
If staph infections go untreated, they have the potential to lead to severe and life-threatening complications. These include toxic shock syndrome, septic shock, heart failure, fluid-filled abscesses in the heart valves, and stroke.
That said, if you're experiencing symptoms of a staph infection or notice new wounds on your skin, it's essential to see your healthcare provider as soon as you can to treat your infection and reduce your risk of complications.
A Quick Review
Staph infections are bacterial infections that most commonly affect your skin. But, they can also affect your bloodstream, digestive system, bones, lungs, and heart. When the infection affects your skin, you might experience pus-filled boils or blisters. But when the infection occurs in other parts of your body, symptoms can be more serious.
Fortunately, staph infections are preventable and treatable. Washing your hands, cleaning cuts on your skin, and preparing food properly are some ways to prevent experiencing symptoms. If you do develop the infection, topical ointments, antibiotics, and other medical treatments can help improve symptoms.
Frequently Asked Questions
How serious is a staph infection?
Most staph infections that affect the skin aren’t life-threatening. But if the bacteria spread to the bloodstream, or if antibiotics can’t control them, you can experience severe and life-threatening complications.
Are staph infections contagious?
As long as you have symptoms, staph infections are very contagious. The bacteria that cause the infection spread through direct contact with infected skin, or by touching infected objects or surfaces. The fluid that drains from boils on your skin can also spread bacteria. If an infected person handles food, staph bacteria may also cause food poisoning.
Should you quarantine with a staph infection?
If you have a staph infection, the most important thing you can do to prevent its spread is get treatment. You don’t necessarily have to quarantine, but you do have to make sure you aren’t exposing others around you. When around other people, keep any affected areas, cuts, or wounds covered, wash your hands often, don’t cook for others, and avoid sharing clothes, towels, or athletic equipment.
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