Jelicia Crawford by

Staphylococcus aureus

jcrawford1908 — 2024-12-08 15:44:12 UTC

Staphylococcus aureus, or staph, is a common bacterium found on the skin and in the nose of about 30% of individuals. It is also found on surfaces such as towels, razors, and needles. It can survive on surfaces for hours, days and even weeks. Staph can cause mild to deadly symptoms. Doctors can usually recognize a staph infection by examining it, performing a blood test or a test of infected body fluids. It can be treated with various methods, but some types of Staphylococcus aureus are resistant to common antibiotic treatment. Let's look more in depth into this pathogen.

jcrawford1908 — 2024-12-08 15:44:12 UTC

Staphylococcus aureus can cause many diseases such as:

jcrawford1908 — 2024-12-08 15:52:27 UTC

Skin infections including abscesses, folliculitis, furuncles, impetigo and cellulitis.
Food Poisoning
Pneumonia
Bacteremia
Toxic Shock Syndrome
Endocarditis
Osteomyelitis

Symptoms of Endocarditis caused by Staphylococcus aureus

jcrawford1908 — 2024-12-08 16:52:59 UTC

Symptoms include flu-like symptoms including:

Fever
Chills
Fatigue
Rapid Heartbeat
Shortness of Breath
Fluid buildup in arms and legs

Symptoms Continued

jcrawford1908 — 2024-12-08 16:53:48 UTC

The symptoms of Staphylococcus aureus depend on the type of infection and part of the body affected.

Symptoms of skin infections include:

pimples, boils, or other bumps on the skin that are red, swollen, painful, warm and full of pus.
chills and fever

Symptoms of food poisoning caused by Staphylococcus aureus

jcrawford1908 — 2024-12-08 16:58:04 UTC

Symptoms of food poisoning caused by Staphylococcus aureus are:

Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Fever

Symptoms of Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) caused by Staphylococcus aureus

jcrawford1908 — 2024-12-08 17:05:37 UTC

Symptoms of TSS caused by Staphylococcus aureus include:

High fever
Sudden low blood pressure
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Confusion
Sunburn-like rash

Who Gets it? / How is it acquired?

jcrawford1908 — 2024-12-08 17:16:06 UTC

People who have a greater risk for staph infections include people who:

inject drugs
have chronic conditions such as diabetes, cancer, and vascular diseases
are in ICU
have undergone certain types of surgeries
have medical devices inserted in their bodies, and
have weakened immune symptoms.

How is Staphylococcus aureus acquired?

Staphylococcus aureus is acquired through skin to skin contact, contaminated surfaces, shared items, coughing, sneezing, and wounds.

Treatments

jcrawford1908 — 2024-12-08 17:27:10 UTC

Staphylococcus aureus is treated by:

antibiotics such as cefazolin, vancomycin, doxycycline, Bactrim, and clindamycin,
surgery to drain wounds, abscesses, or boils
device removal,
and hospitalization for IV antibiotics or fluid treatments.

Prevention

jcrawford1908 — 2024-12-08 17:29:54 UTC

To prevent Staphylococcus aureus, wash your hands with soap and water or use an alcohol based hand sanitizer, clean and cover wounds, avoid sharing personal items such as towels, clothes, razors, and cosmetics, clean surfaces regularly, practice food safety, and clean immediately after spills of blood or body fluids.