Staph (pronounced "staff") is medical quick speak for staphylococcus aureus bacteria. This pesky little bacterium is very common (many people have some living on their skin all the time), but when it enters the human body, usually through an open cut or break in the skin, it can cause infection and trouble anywhere in the body. Staph infections tend to be pus-producing. Common minor (or relatively minor) skin infections caused by staph include:
Folliculitis
Infections of hair follicles that cause itchy white pus-filled bumps on the skin (often where people shave or have irritations from skin rubbing against clothes)
Boils
Infections deeper within hair follicles that leave large, frequently red inflammations (often occur on the face or neck)
Sties
Infection of the follicle surrounding the eyelashes, causing a sore red bump in the eyelid
Impetigo
The infection kids often get around their mouths and noses that causes blisters and red scabby skin
Abscesses
Infection characterized by pus and swelling that can occur in the skin and in any other organ.
Staph infection is also the leading culprit behind cases of food poisoning, and can be to blame for larger life threatening conditions, such as Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), pneumonia, bone infections (osteomyelitis), mastitis in nursing mothers, endocarditis (infection of the inside of the heart), and bacteremia (blood infection). People who are otherwise healthy typically do not usually become severely ill from staph infections, but those at special risk, who have weakened immune systems, include:
•     persons with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, cancer, lung disease, kidney disease, or HIV/AIDS
•     people with various skin conditions
•     the elderly
•     newborns
•     people recovering from major surgery
•     injection drug users (especially those who reuse needles)
•     people whose immune systems are weakened due to steroid use, radiation therapy, cancer treatment, immunosuppressive medications
•     women who are breastfeeding
Health care professionals can determine that staph (and not some other bacteria) is the cause of an infection by taking a culture (usually a swab from what looks like a giant Q-tip) from the infected site. Once staph has been diagnosed, the provider will prescribe antibiotics that are known to work on that specific strain of the bacteria. These antibiotics (usually either pills or creams applied to the infected body part) typically kill the bacteria and cure the infection within a week or two.
Hospitals are working to stamp out staph infections, in part because the majority of hospital patients fall into at least one "at-risk" category, but also because drug-resistant strains of staph (versions of the bacteria that aren't killed by one or more of the antibiotics that are commonly used to treat staph infections) are becoming an increasingly common threat. These drug-resistant strains of staph do not cause worse or different infections than non-resistant strains, but they can be much harder to treat because the most common (and easiest to use) antibiotics may not be effective. People with resistant staph infections may require hospitalization to receive antibiotics through an IV or by injection.
Because improper use of antibiotics can help produce resistance to drugs, making future infections much harder to treat, the American Medical Association recommends that patients:
•     follow the directions for any prescription exactly
•     take all of the medicine prescribed (even if one feels better after only a few days)
•     never save old, leftover prescriptions for future use
•     never take anyone else's prescription antibiotics
Other preventative measures are careful treatment of all skin conditions, including wound care after trauma or surgery, IV drug users taking precautions when injecting, and people with special risk factors being attentive to early symptoms of staph.
Symptoms of Staph Infections
The symptoms of a staph skin infection depends on where the infection is. The staph bacteria can cause:
•     boils - an abscess within the skin. Also called a furuncle.
•     cellulitis - a localized skin infection which can make the skin red, painful, and warm
•     folliculitis - an infection of hair follicles
•     impetigo - causes blisters (bullous impetigo) or honey colored crusted lesions on the skin
•     paronychia - an infection of the skin folds of the nails
In addition to skin infections, the staph bacteria can cause:
•     bacteremia - a blood infection
•     deep abscesses - a collection of pus somewhere inside the body
•     endocarditis - an infection on the valves of the heart
•     food poisoning
•     lymphadenitis - an infection of a lymph gland, which causes it to be red, swollen, and painful
•     lymphangitis - an infection of the lymph channels that drain to lymph glands, causing red streaks in the skin
•     osteomyelitis - a bone infection
•     scalded skin syndrome
•     septic arthritis - an infection of a joint, like the hip or knee
•     styes - an infection of the glands on the eyelid
•     toxic shock syndrome
The Staphylococcus aureus bacteria can also less commonly cause other infections, including pneumonia, ear infections, and sinusitis.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of most skin infections is made by the pattern of symptoms and physical exam findings. However, it is not usually possible to know whether the infection is caused by the staph bacteria or another bacteria, like group A Beta-hemolytic streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes). And in many cases, it doesn't matter, as the antibiotic your child is prescribed will likely treat both bacteria.
To make a definitive diagnosis and to confirm that staph is the bacteria causing the infection, a culture can be done.
Treatments
Antistaphylococcal antibiotics are the usual treatments for staph infections. This may include a topical antibiotic cream for simple impetigo, warm compresses and drainage for abscesses, an oral antibiotic, or an intravenous antibiotic for more serious or persistent infections.
Commonly used oral antistaphylococcal antibiotics include the first-generation cephalosporins like Keflex (cephalexin) and Duricef (cefadroxil).
As resistance to antibiotics is now common among staph bacteria, including MRSA, or methicillin resistent staph aureus, the first antibiotic your child is prescribed may not work. Many of these community acquired MRSA infections can still be treated with oral antibiotics though, such as clindamycin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX or Bactrim). More serious and multi-drug resistent MRSA can usually be treated in the hospital with the antibiotic vancomycin.