staff infection?

Question

what causes staff infection, and what is it? is it bad?

Answer 1

Staff infection is when one person on the staff doesn't wash their hands and infects the rest of the staff.

On the other hand, staph infection is caused by the staph bacteria:

http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/2109.html

The drug-resistant one in the news right now is very bad.

Answer 2

A staph infection is caused by any one of a number of varients of the stapholococcus family of bacteria. They make up part of the normal bacteria living on the surface of your skin, where they live quite happily. Varients of this family can cause cold sores, mono, pimples and boils. Ordinarily there is no problem, unless it gets into the skin, via a cut, scratch or into a pore. If that happens, they set up housekeeping where they don't belong and your immune system reacts to it. In most cases, you get a nasty white pus collection and it is forced to the surface where it drains away. In the case of MRSA, you have a varient that is resistant to most of the commonly used antibiotics and is particularly agressive in the attack. It is spread in skin to skin contact with an infected person, or from yourself if you happen to have it on your own skin. While it is resistant to many antibiotics, it is not resistant to them all. There are special drugs reserved for use in just these sort of cases. What makes it newsworthy is the fact that it can overwhelm the body with a systemic infection that is fatal if not caught and treated quickly. However, like all staph bacteria, it can be killed with plain old soap and water, and ordinary household disinfectants, outside the body of course. Although the media makes it sound a new development, MRSA has been around for some time, probably as long as the other staph bacteria living on you. It is treatable, and it is survivable- people all over the world have done so. No infection is exactly good for you, and in the right conditions, untreated infections of all sorts can kill you by septic shock, when the body is overwhelmed. The best defense is good santitation. Just do what your mom taught you, and they pushed on you in kindergarden. Wash your hands with soap and water often, especially after you use the toilet and before you eat. Keep your hands away from your face and fingers out of your mouth. Don't pick at your spots and boo-boos. Keep cuts and sores clean and covered with a bandaid until they are healed. Don't share personal items like towels, razors, etc. Keep your general environment cleaned. Then you have nothing to worry about for the most part, from staph or any other funky buggies.

Answer 3

Did you mean "staph" not staff?
Staph is short for Staphylococcus, a type of bacteria. There are over 30 types, but Staphylococcus aureus causes most staph infections, including

Skin infections
Pneumonia
Food poisoning
Toxic shock syndrome
Blood poisoning (bacteremia)
Skin infections are the most common. They can look like pimples or boils. They may be red, swollen and painful, and sometimes have pus or other drainage. They can turn into impetigo, which turns into a crust on the skin, or cellulitis, a swollen, red area of skin that feels hot.

Anyone can get a staph skin infection. You are more likely to get one if you have a cut or scratch, or have contact with a person or surface that has staph bacteria. The best way to prevent staph is to keep hands and wounds clean. Most staph skin infections are easily treated with antibiotics or by draining the infection. Some staph bacteria are resistant to certain antibiotics, making infections harder to treat.

Answer 4

Staph (pronounced "staff") is medical quick speak for staphylococcus aureus bacteria. This pesky little bacterium is very common (many people have some living on their skin all the time), but when it enters the human body, usually through an open cut or break in the skin, it can cause infection and trouble anywhere in the body. Staph infections tend to be pus-producing. Common minor (or relatively minor) skin infections caused by staph include:

Folliculitis
Infections of hair follicles that cause itchy white pus-filled bumps on the skin (often where people shave or have irritations from skin rubbing against clothes)

Boils
Infections deeper within hair follicles that leave large, frequently red inflammations (often occur on the face or neck)

Styes
Infection of the follicle surrounding the eyelashes, causing a sore red bump in the eyelid

Impetigo
The infection kids often get around their mouths and noses that causes blisters and red scabby skin

Abscesses
Infection characterized by pus and swelling that can occur in the skin and in any other organ.

Staph infection is also the leading culprit behind cases of food poisoning, and can be to blame for larger life threatening conditions, such as Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), pneumonia, bone infections (osteomyelitis), mastitis in nursing mothers, endocarditis (infection of the inside of the heart), and bacteremia (blood infection). People who are otherwise healthy typically do not usually become severely ill from staph infections, but those at special risk, who have weakened immune systems, include:

* persons with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, cancer, lung disease, kidney disease, or HIV/AIDS
* people with various skin conditions
* the elderly
* newborns
* people recovering from major surgery
* injection drug users (especially those who reuse needles)
* people whose immune systems are weakened due to steroid use, radiation therapy, cancer treatment, immunosuppressive medications
* women who are breastfeeding

Health care professionals can determine that staph (and not some other bacteria) is the cause of an infection by taking a culture (usually a swab from what looks like a giant Q-tip) from the infected site. Once staph has been diagnosed, the provider will prescribe antibiotics that are known to work on that specific strain of the bacteria. These antibiotics (usually either pills or creams applied to the infected body part) typically kill the bacteria and cure the infection within a week or two.

Hospitals are working to stamp out staph infections, in part because the majority of hospital patients fall into at least one "at-risk" category, but also because of drug-resistant strains of staph, including the particularly virulent MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) strain. Antibiotic-resistance means that strains of staph aren't killed by one or more of the antibiotics that are commonly used to treat staph infections. These strains of staph are becoming an increasingly common threat and while they do not always cause worse or different infections than non-resistant strains, they can be much harder to treat because the most common (and easiest to use) antibiotics may not be effective. People with resistant staph infections may require hospitalization to receive antibiotics through an IV or by injection. Unfortunately some staph infections can even be fatal. Check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for more information about MRSA.

Because improper use of antibiotics can help produce resistance to drugs, making future infections much harder to treat, the American Medical Association recommends that patients:

* follow the directions for any prescription exactly
* take all of the medicine prescribed (even if one feels better after only a few days)
* never save old, leftover prescriptions for future use
* never take anyone else's prescription antibiotics

Other preventative measures are careful treatment of all skin conditions, including wound care after trauma or surgery, IV drug users taking precautions when injecting, and people with special risk factors being attentive to early symptoms of staph. You can also reduce your risk by not sharing needles, razors, sheets, towels, and athletic equipment. Of course, general hygiene is also important; regular hand-washing and bathing (with soap) can help prevent many types of infections. If you have a skin wound that becomes infected, it's a good idea to visit a health care provider. They can test for staph infection, and give you any necessary treatment.