Regardless of what some people might like to believe, there really is bacteria everywhere. Even the cleanest, most spotless, most sterilized location in the planet has at least one bacterial agent. The same is true for the human body, which plays host to an impressive range of bacteria. For the most part, these agents are either harmless or actually beneficial to the functions of the body. The beneficial ones shouldn't give anyone any real reason to worry, but the harmless ones can occasionally make the shift to being harmful. Among these harmless agents is Staphylococcus aureus, the bacteria that causes staph infections. For most people, the worst thing that staph can do to the body would be to cause some minor skin irritations. However, there will be problems if the bacteria make their way into the body, getting into the bloodstream and internal organs.
Staph infections can cause a number of signs and symptoms, depending on where the bacteria has become most prominent in the body. If the infection is most prominent on the skin, then the symptoms can manifest as any number of skin problems. Boils are common, as well as impetigo and cellulitis. The former is a painful rash that commonly appears among infected children and infants. Cellulities, on the other hand, is a condition that leaves the skin tender and inflamed. Regardless of the end result of the infection, there are a few common symptoms that indicate that the problem is caused by staph infections. Warmth, excessive tenderness, swelling, and redness are among the more common signs of staph bacteria being present and prevalent on the skin.
Toxic shock syndrome is also a possible sign of staph infections, though the two are not always linked together. Toxic shock syndrome is a potentially fatal condition that is known to manifest more readily if staph bacteria are prevalent. There are other factors which can increase the risk of someone developing TSS. The syndrome has been linked to some types of tampons, wounds caused by surgical incisions, and any open wound on the skin. The syndrome develops rapidly, usually causing nausea, vomiting, high fever, and the formation of rashes on the palms and soles. These rashes tend to resemble sunburns to the naked eye. Confusion, headaches, muscle spasms, and nausea are also common signs of someone having toxic shock syndrome.
The key to preventing staph infections is to cover any open wounds and sterilize the area around them. This is a preventive measure designed to limit or eliminate the bacteria that is coming into the body. It can also help reduce the number of bacteria that is moved towards the infected wound, especially if it is washed out properly with soap and warm water. The wound must be covered until it is completely healed to block bacterial infection. Note that pus fluid from infected sores also contains the bacteria, so contact between the fluid and any open wounds should be prevented to avoid staph infections. In regards to surgical wounds, modern hospitals adhere to a standard of cleanliness that ensures that all operating facilities are sterilized, as well as all surgical equipment. Frequently changing tampons can help reduce the risk of getting toxic shock syndrome.
A certain strain of staph infection, known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, is problematically resistant to a broad spectrum of antibiotics, except for a very small few of the most powerful ones. Staph is a bacterium that commonly exists harmlessly on the skin, under fingernails, and in the nostrils of about 30 % of our population, according the the 'U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention'. But, about 1 % of the population contacts the antibiotic resistant strain, known as MRSA, and this form of staph infection can cause a very serious skin infection, and an internal infection as well.
This type of staph infection can circulate rather quickly in common athletic areas such as gyms and fitness centers. This potentially harmful bacteria can be found on sports equipment, in locker rooms, and on personal hygiene care items such as towels, soaps, and razors. MRSA infections are contagiously spread by skin-to-skin contact through an open cut wound, or contact through personal hygiene care items.
A known outbreak in a community should, therefore, have everyone seriously paying attention in keeping sports equipment, and other suspected areas, properly sanitized. Warnings, also, need to be issued in the advising of no sharing of personal care items.
People with healthy immune systems are not as susceptible to succumbing to this type of infection as those individuals who have a weaker immune system resistance. These individuals can become colonized with this type of deadly infection rather quickly. Lesions on the skin may first appear to be a spider bite or a boil. But, experts on staph infections claim that about 25 % of these types of skin infections end up requiring hospitalization. They cause infections of the bloodstream, central nervous system, heart valves, bones, and pneumonia.
In fact, over the last four to five years 95% of staph infections turn out to be MRSA. MRSA can also carry a gene mutation that can destroy white blood cells and infect other body tissues and organs. MRSA infections start out as small red bumps on the skin that can quickly turn into deep, painful abscesses. Sometimes the bacteria remains confined on the skin but, it can also burrow deep inside your body. Causes of MRSA include:
The results of decades of unnecessary and excessive antibiotic use. The overuse of antibiotics in livestock farming operations, resulting in feedlot run off that migrates to municipal water systems. Continued unnecessary and excessive antibiotic use contributes to their ineffectiveness of other types of antibiotics.
Risk factors for contacting a MRSA infection are:
A current or recent hospitalization. Being a resident of a long-term health care facility. Requiring dialysis, catheterization, feeding tubes, or other invasive hospital proceedures. Have been treated with fluoroquinolones ( a type of antibiotics) such as ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, levofloxacin, and cephalosporin.
Doctors diagnose MRSA by obtaining a tissue sample of nasal secretions. The sample is sent to a lab and results are returned within 48 hours. There are some newer tests, becoming more widely available, that can detect staph DNA in a shorter amount of time. Vancomycin is one of the few antibiotics left, that is still effective against hospital strains of MRSA. Be advised, however, that it is no longer effective in every single case.
There is some promising news, however, on how you can protect yourself against an infection with an antibiotic resistant form of staph infection, in a more natural way. Regularly consuming good bacteria nutrition, like what you will find in homemade fermented foods and beverages, can help protect you from developing this dangerous type of infection.
These friendly germs, in abundant populations, will help provide your skin, digestive tract, and immune system with a very powerful, protective barrier against disease causing pathogens such as a common staph infection, or a more problematic and antibiotic resistant MRSA infection..
In light of what is not working on the drug treatment battleground scene with antibiotics, which approach do you believe has a more common sense potential to solve this problem?
Flushing out potentially harmful disease causing staphylococcus bacterias out of your internal system with nothing much else, in fluids, but water is another a good way to avoid a serious staph infection like MRSA.
You can take more control in naturally building up your immune system strength, in fighting off many other different types of disease causing bacterial infections this way also. You can make your intestinal system more fit, and healthier, with a boosted diet of good bacteria nutrition and, of course, by keeping yourself properly hydrated and cleansed in adding more water consumption to your daily diet routine.
Both Harvey D. Ong & Brenda Skidmore are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Harvey D. Ong has sinced written about articles on various topics from Gardening, Health and Birth Control. Harvey Ong is a part-time researcher, with special interest in the occult, medical anomalies, herbal lore, and psychology. He is also employed as a writer-researcher, researching and writing articles about a variety of pain killers, muscle relaxants, sexu. Harvey D. Ong's top article generates over 60500 views. to your Favourites.
Brenda Skidmore has sinced written about articles on various topics from Nutrition, Infections and Health. Brenda Skidmore has spent the last four plus years actively researching natural health care alternatives. It is her sincere desire to empower others by sharing this important information. To improve your health today visit. Brenda Skidmore's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.