How many types of staphylococcus are there

Staphylococcus bacteria cause staph infections. There are many types of staph infections, and, depending on the cause, doctors may use antibiotics, surgery, or other methods to treat them.

Most staph infections clear up quickly with treatment, but people with a weakened immune system are at higher risk and may take longer to recover. Staphylococcus aureus , which lives on the skin and in the nose of some people, is responsible for most infections. These bacteria are usually harmless, but if they enter the body through a wound, scrape, or cut, they can cause infection and serious illness.

This article examines the causes, types, symptoms, and treatment of staph infections. It also discusses the risk factors and the recovery time for people with these infections. Approximately 1 in 4 people carry staph bacteria on their skin.

Staph bacteria generally do not cause harm unless they enter the body through a wound. When this happens, the bacteria can cause an infection on the skin — producing an open sore — or in one of the systems of the body. These systemic infections can be severe and even fatal. Staph infections are contagious. Sneezing, coughing, or touching an infected wound can spread the infection, but many cases occur when a person comes into contact with a contaminated object , such as a hand towel, remote control, or door handle.

Direct person-to-person contact with someone who has the infection can also allow it to spread. Antibiotics are effective treatments for most staph infections. There is also a type of staph called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus MRSA that is resistant to several antibiotics, although there are some that can treat it. Staph infections can affect any area of the skin and, once they enter the body through an open wound, many internal systems. Without treatment, they can cause sepsis.

Although many people carry staph bacteria on their skin or in their nose, not all of them will develop a staph infection. Infection only occurs when staph bacteria enter the skin or body through a cut, scrape, wound, or contaminated food. How are staph infections diagnosed? What are the treatments for staph infections? Can staph infections be prevented? Certain steps can help to prevent staph infections: Use good hygiene , including washing your hands often Don't share towels, sheets, or clothing with someone who has a staph infection It's best not to share athletic equipment.

If you do need to share, make sure that it properly cleaned and dried before you use it. Practice food safety , including not preparing food for others when you have a staph infection If you have a cut or wound, keep it covered. Start Here. Related Issues. Boils Furunculosis VisualDX. Clinical Trials. Article: Association of vancomycin trough concentration on the treatment outcome of patients Article: Autophagy in Staphylococcus aureus Infection.

Staphylococcal Infections -- see more articles. Find an Expert. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Burns Burns Burns are injuries to tissue that result from heat, electricity, radiation, or chemicals. Burns cause varying degrees of pain, blisters, swelling, and skin loss.

Small, shallow burns may need Diabetes mellitus Diabetes Mellitus DM Diabetes mellitus is a disorder in which the body does not produce enough or respond normally to insulin, causing blood sugar glucose levels to be abnormally high. Urination and thirst are Major causes are diabetes and high blood pressure Drugs, such as corticosteroids, drugs that suppress the immune system immunosuppressants , or cancer chemotherapy. Many strains have developed resistance Antibiotic resistance Bacteria are microscopic, single-celled organisms.

If carriers take antibiotics, the antibiotics kill the strains that are not resistant, leaving mainly the resistant strains. These bacteria may then multiply, and if they cause infection, the infection is more difficult to treat. Whether the bacteria are resistant and which antibiotics they resist often depend on where people got the infection: in a hospital or other health care facility or outside of such a facility in the community.

Because antibiotics are widely used in hospitals, hospital staff members commonly carry resistant strains. When people are infected in a health care facility, the bacteria are usually resistant to several types of antibiotics, including almost all antibiotics that are related to penicillin called beta-lactam antibiotics Penicillins Penicillins are a subclass of antibiotics called beta-lactam antibiotics antibiotics that have a chemical structure called a beta-lactam ring.

Carbapenems, cephalosporins, and monobactams Strains of bacteria that are resistant to almost all beta-lactam antibiotics are called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus MRSA. Methicillin is a type of penicillin. MRSA strains are common when infection is acquired in a health care facility called hospital-acquired infection. Some strains of MRSA cause infections that are acquired outside of a health care facility called community-acquired infection , including mild abscesses and skin infections.

The number of these community-acquired infections is increasing. Staphylococcal infections may be difficult to treat because many of the bacteria have developed resistance to antibiotics. Folliculitis Folliculitis Folliculitis and skin abscesses are pus-filled pockets in the skin resulting from bacterial infection. A hair root follicle is infected, causing a slightly painful, tiny pimple at the base of a hair.

Impetigo Impetigo and Ecthyma Impetigo is a superficial skin infection, caused by Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, or both, that leads to the formation of scabby, yellow-crusted sores and, sometimes, small Impetigo may itch or hurt. Abscesses Skin abscesses Folliculitis and skin abscesses are pus-filled pockets in the skin resulting from bacterial infection.

Cellulitis Cellulitis Cellulitis is a spreading bacterial infection of the skin and the tissues immediately beneath the skin. This infection is most often caused by streptococci or staphylococci.

Redness, pain, and Cellulitis spreads, causing pain and redness. Toxic epidermal necrolysis Stevens-Johnson Syndrome SJS and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis TEN Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis are two forms of the same life-threatening skin disease that cause rash, skin peeling, and sores on the mucous membranes.

See also Introduction Both lead to large-scale peeling of skin. Breast infections mastitis Breast Infection A breast infection mastitis can occur after delivery postpartum infection , usually during the first 6 weeks and almost always in women who are breastfeeding. If the baby is not positioned The area around the nipple is red and painful.

The bacteria may then infect the nursing infant. Pneumonia often causes a high fever, shortness of breath, and a cough with sputum that may be tinged with blood. Lung abscesses Abscess in the Lungs A lung abscess is a pus-filled cavity in the lung surrounded by inflamed tissue and caused by an infection. A lung abscess is usually caused by bacteria that normally live in the mouth and are They sometimes enlarge and involve the membranes around the lungs and sometimes cause pus to collect called an empyema Types of fluid Pleural effusion is the abnormal accumulation of fluid in the pleural space the area between the two layers of the thin membrane that covers the lungs.

Staph infections may also spread in the locker room through shared razors, towels, uniforms or equipment. Food handlers who don't properly wash their hands can transfer staph from their skin to the food they're preparing. Foods that are contaminated with staph look and taste normal. If staph bacteria invade your bloodstream, you may develop a type of infection that affects your entire body.

Called sepsis, this infection can lead to septic shock — a life-threatening episode with extremely low blood pressure. Wash your hands.

Careful hand-washing is your best defense against germs. Wash your hands with soap and water briskly for at least 20 seconds. Then dry them with a disposable towel and use another towel to turn off the faucet. If your hands aren't visibly dirty, you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Wash your hands with soap and water regularly, such as before, during and after making food; after handling raw meat or poultry; before eating; after using the bathroom; and after touching an animal or animal waste.

Wash clothing and bedding in hot water. Staph bacteria can survive on clothing and bedding that isn't properly washed. To get bacteria off clothing and sheets, wash them in hot water whenever possible. Also, use bleach on any bleach-safe materials. Drying in the dryer is better than air-drying, but staph bacteria may survive the clothes dryer. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.

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