Staph Aureus Infection
Posted in December 29th, 2011 by admin | Filed under Types Of Staph | Comments (0)
Staphylococcus or simply staphs belongs to a class of bacteria. Although there are several types of staphs but here I will discuss only the type staphs aureus.
Staphs aureus has two very common types. One of which is very sensitive to a broad range of antibiotics while the other type is resistant to this broad range of antibiotics. The resistant type of staph is called Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or simply called the MRSA. Methicillin belongs to the penicillin family. These bacteria are resistant to this group of antibiotics.
As this class of bacteria are resistant to a large number of antibiotics they must be treated with very special type of antibiotics to eliminate the infection.
The staphs bacterium is found nearly everywhere. It is present on both clean and dirty hands and even on the most cleaned surfaces of your home. The staphs bacteria are very resistant and hardy. On a dry surface they can survive as long as 3 weeks. These bacteria survive better on moist surfaces. Like mucous membranes of our body. A normal person may have a 30 percent of the staph bacteria in his nose (including the nasal passage).
The staphs cause various types of infections. On skin the bacterium it causes sores, pimples and boil. Even if the infection is not so serious the staph aureus infection can result in serious illness sometimes leading to surgery. Even after the surgery the patient is highly prone to infection due to infection on the other parts of the body. Sometimes the infection develops deep inside the body on freshly operated site due to the same reason.
A person undergoing a surgery must avoid this condition by taking a bath a day prior to surgery with a good cleansing soap. The surgeons recommend special antibacterial soaps for this purpose. While using these soaps one must read and follow the instructions very carefully. One must keep its skin very dry and clean after surgery as it is very important to avoid infection. Cleaning the surgical wounds by antibacterial ointments promotes the healing of the wounds at the incision site and also prevents the spread of any infection from the surrounding parts.
Sometimes staph infection occurs deep inside the skin during or immediately after the surgery due to the invasion of germs. These germs can come from various sources including surgical tools, person’s skin, and the surgeon or its team.
Some people like the one’s having diabetes are at higher risk of getting infection at the operated site as their wounds heal slowly. But it is important that the above cautionary measures should be taken by all the patients.
Some people may develop a sinus infection in nose after an allergy, cold or flu due to the staph bacteria. The nasal passage has a large no of sites which can reside these bacteria colonies. If this happens they grow and cause infection. Persons having conditions of swollen mucous membranes resulting from common cold, and blocked rain ducts are at higher risk of getting this infection.
A person suffering from paralysis or a similar disease rendering him to be left on bed for prolonged periods may develop pressure sores or ulcers if proper care is not taken. The sores normally develop on the heels, ankles, elbows, tail bows or on the hips. The name pressure sore is given because the bones press against the mattress making it difficult for the blood to circulate in tissues of that area. Due to lack of blood circulation the tissues broke and finally become infected with germ prevailing in the skin. Such infections are generally initials. Good care and proper antibiotics help to prevent this condition.
Staph aureus infection also causes food poisoning. With its multiplication in food the bacteria produces toxins which causes vomiting within 30 minutes. Contaminated food and dirty hands are the biggest cause of the infection. The toxins produced are heat tolerant and hence are not killed upon cooking.
The contamination can be prevented by properly washing the hands and the fingernails. Never prepare food if you have a wound or infection on your hand or wrists. Keep the cooking utensils clean. Leaving the cooked food at room temperature gives bacteria full chance to grow and multiply.
