Serious staph infections can be life-threatening, and even minor infections can turn serious if not treated appropriately, so any symptoms of a skin infection caused by staph — such as persistent skin redness, swelling, or sores — should be brought to the attention of a doctor. That being said, some minor skin infections will heal on their own and won’t require any treatment other than keeping the skin clean and protected. (1) Most other staph infections — whether a skin infection or an internal infection — will require treatment with antibiotics. And sometimes, surgery is necessary to treat a staph infection. (2)
Antibiotics for Staph Infection
Antibiotics work by killing bacteria. Since the first antibiotic, penicillin, was discovered in the 1920s, hundreds have become available for use. (3) But even as more antibiotics have been developed, certain disease-causing bacteria have become resistant to commonly used antibiotics, meaning those antibiotics are no longer effective at treating infections caused by those bacteria. (4) Staphylococcus aureus, the most common type of staph, is notorious for developing resistance to antibiotics. But fortunately for those with staph infections, a number of antibiotics are still effective against it. Some are applied topically to the skin or the insides of the nose, some are taken orally, and some are given as an injection or intravenous (IV) infusion. Your doctor will choose an antibiotic for you based on the location of your infection, how serious it is, and, sometimes, the type of staph you have. In some situations, you might be given a combination of several different antibiotics. Some commonly used antibiotics for staph include (5):
mupirocin (Bactroban)bacitracin (Baciguent)retapamulin (Altabax)vancomycin (Vancocin)nafcillin (Unipen)oxacillin (Bactocill)cefazolin (Ancef)clindamycin (Cleocin)doxycycline (Doryx)sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim (Bactrim)cephalexin (Keflex)
Although side effects will depend on the specific medicine you take, antibiotics may cause:
DiarrheaAn upset stomachA rashYeast infections, due to disrupting the body’s regular way of keeping yeast in check (6)
If you’re given an oral antibiotic, be sure to follow the instructions on the product label carefully. Some antibiotics should be taken on an empty stomach, but others can be taken with food, which can help reduce any stomach irritation caused by the drug. Finish all of your prescribed medication, even if your symptoms start to improve, to increase the likelihood of the infection being completely cured.
Surgical Treatment for Skin and Internal Staph Infections
Surgery may be necessary to empty a wound, abscess, or boil. A doctor will make an incision in the sore to drain it. Sometimes infected fluid is also taken out of an associated infected joint. Additionally, some people might need certain devices, such as artificial grafts, pacemakers, heart valves, or prosthetics, surgically removed if they develop a staph infection. (7)
Treating Staph Food Poisoning
Staph food poisoning is caused by toxins produced by the bacteria, not by the bacteria itself. Symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps, typically develop within 30 minutes to eight hours of consuming a contaminated food, and are best treated by drinking fluids. If necessary, your doctor can prescribe anti-nausea medication, and severe illness may require intravenous fluids. The toxins do not respond to antibiotics. (8)
Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome (SSSS)
Children with staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome generally need to be treated in the hospital with antibiotics, intravenous fluids, skin creams or ointments, and pain medicines. Because SSSS causes large areas of skin to peel off, similar to a scalding burn, kids with this condition are often treated in the burn unit or intensive care unit of the hospital. (9)
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)
MRSA is a type of staph bacteria that has become resistant to the antibiotic methicillin and other drugs in the penicillin class. MRSA can be identified by taking a swab of the insides of a person’s nostrils or of a wound or skin lesion, and either culturing the specimen (to see if MRSA grows in the specimen) or using a faster, molecular test that detects staph DNA. For minor skin infections caused by MRSA, a variety of oral antibiotics are still effective — as long as every dose of the prescribed antibiotic is taken. People with serious MRSA infections are usually treated with the antibiotic vancomycin, although in recent years some strains of Staphylococcus aureus have become resistant or less sensitive to it, too. Vancomycin is given intravenously and can cause serious side effects, though rare, such as:
Severe diarrheaStomach pain Peeling or blistering skinDifficulty breathing or swallowingSwelling of the eyes, face, throat, tongue, or lipsHearing loss or ringing in the earsHoarseness Dizziness (10)
Some serious MRSA infections are treated with a combination of two or more antibiotics.
Honey as a Treatment for MRSA
As antibiotic resistance has become a growing concern, researchers have tested the effectiveness of other substances, including various types of honey, at helping to stop the growth of staph bacteria. Manuka honey, in particular, has been found to have antimicrobial activity and to augment the effects of certain antibiotics in treating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. (11) But the use of honey in treating staph infections is still in the experimental stages. Simply slathering a possible skin infection with honey is unlikely to be effective and not recommended.
Home Remedies for Skin Infections
Some home remedies that may be used to help symptoms of staph infections include:
Warm Compresses Placing a warm washcloth over boils for about 10 minutes at a time may help them burst. Cool Compresses Using cool compresses may reduce pain due to infections such as septic arthritis.Pain Relievers Taking acetaminophen or ibuprofen for minor infections can decrease pain. Topical Antibiotic Ointment Over-the-counter (OTC) topical antibiotic ointment can help to prevent minor wound infections or speed their healing. But if a wound is getting worse rather than better, see a medical provider for care.Alternative Remedies Some people apply substances with reported antimicrobial properties, such as tea tree oil, apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, eucalyptus essential oil, oregano essential oil, and others to skin infections to help them heal. But there is limited — and for some products, no — evidence that these are effective against staph bacteria. In addition, essential oils and other substances can be irritating to the skin if applied in a concentrated form.
Home Care for a Staph Infection
If you do develop a staph infection on your skin, some basic hygiene measures will encourage healing and help to prevent the spread of infection:
Keep it clean. Follow your doctor’s instructions on how to clean your wound or skin condition. Keep it covered. Cover the affected area with gauze or a bandage, as recommended by your doctor, to protect it and avoid spreading the infection to other people. Don’t touch it. Avoid touching the area, so you don’t spread the bacteria to other parts of your body.Use towels only once. After you bathe, dry yourself off, then wash the towel in hot water before using it again. (12)
Who Treats Staph Infections?
Primary care doctors, such as internists, family medicine physicians, and pediatricians, can treat a mild case of staph. In some cases, your primary care doctor may refer you to a dermatologist for staph infections of the skin. If your infection progresses or you develop complications, you might have to see an infectious disease specialist or a surgeon. If you experience severe symptoms, such as a red or tender area of skin going numb, a reddened area becoming larger or hard to the touch, worsening pain, or high fever or chills, you should seek emergency medical attention at once. Skin infections that occur in or around the eyes should also be treated as an emergency.
Prognosis for Mild and Severe Staph Infections
Most minor skin infections have a very good prognosis. But infections that are caused by drug-resistant bacteria, turn severe, or develop into conditions like sepsis (an extreme immune response to infection) or pneumonia (infection of the lungs) can be deadly. According to one analysis, about 90,000 people in the United States get an invasive MRSA infection, and about 20,000 die. (13) According to the World Health Organization (WHO), sepsis potentially causes 11 million deaths worldwide every year. (14) While any infection can lead to sepsis, bacterial infections are the most common cause. (15) Pneumonia kills about 50,000 people in the United States annually, although not all pneumonia is caused by staph bacteria. (16) Being aware of the symptoms of a staph infection, seeking help promptly, and following an effective treatment approach are the best ways to fight staph.
