Understanding Staph Infections
Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as “staph,” is a bacterium that can live on the skin and inside the nose of some healthy people. These people are said to be “colonized” or carriers, but they are not considered to be ill with an infection. If a colonized person gets a cut on his or her skin, the bacteria can cause skin and soft tissue infections, such as cellulitis, abscesses, impetigo, folliculitis, and furunculosis. People who are not colonized but have a cut or scrape exposed to staph can also become infected.

Understanding MRSA and CA-MRSA
Excessive use of penicillin antibiotics over the years has led to the development of stronger strains of bacteria that are no longer killed by penicillin-type antibiotics. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a strain of staph bacteria resistant to penicillin and standard penicillin-related antibiotics. MRSA causes the same types of infections that ordinary staph causes. Though MRSA was previously known for being an infection found only in ill people in hospitals, it is now showing up in the general, healthy population. This type of staph infection, known as community-acquired or community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA), can be carried by healthy adults and children who do not have any symptoms. These carriers can get a skin or soft tissue infection with CA-MRSA, or non-carriers might get infected from exposure to staph from another person. These people, if they develop a skin or soft tissue infection, will need to be treated with an antibiotic other than a standard penicillin antibiotic

Signs and Symptoms of MRSA
It is important to note that it is rare for any staph infection to become life threatening in a healthy person. While resistant to penicillin and penicillin-related antibiotics, most CA-MRSA infection treatment successfully utilizes common alternative antibiotics, such as trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, clindamycin, tetracycline, and few others. If your doctor prescribes antibiotics, be sure to take the full course of treatment.

What are some symptoms of a staph skin infection?

• Red bump that may be pus filled (sometimes mistaken for a spider bite)
• Warmth
• Pain
• Swollen, red, tender skin lesions

If your doctor diagnoses you with a staph infection and you continue to experience these symptoms for more than a couple days, the infection may be a CA-MRSA infection. Signs that you may have a CA-MRSA infection include having the above symptoms coupled with:

• Little to no improvement with antibiotics after 2–3 days
• Rapid spread of the infection
• A previous infection with CA-MRSA

Because CA-MRSA can be passed to others, it is important to follow these prevention tips:

• As a general rule, always maintain good hand-washing habits. This means washing with an antibacterial soap for at least 20 seconds while rubbing your hands together.
• Do not squeeze or attempt to drain any sore.
• Keep any wound covered and clean until it has fully healed.
• Avoid contact with others’ wounds or bandages.
• Do not share personal items such as towels, razors, athletic equipment, sheets, clothes, etc.
• If you or a household member has a wound, wash your laundry in hot, soapy water, with bleach if possible, and dry these items in a hot dryer.

i know the pics are gross to look at but i wanted you to see ehat it looks like.

my mom was just diagnosed with the flesh eating strain of mrsa.  she got it from work. she believes she got it from a shopping cart. so i can not urge to please use shopping cart covers or a wipe to wipe down a cart befor eyou use it.