The Staph Super bug is a drug resistant form of a staph infection also called a MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). The scary thing is that this not all of these infections are preventable, however they are preventable to a high degree by simply washing your hands all the time. They can also be prevented if special measures are taken around those infected.
Most people carry Staph on their bodies at some point or another, perhaps on or around the nose, but it does not become dangerous until it is inside the body. Healthy people can carry these bacteria, because the bacteria live on their skin or in the lining of their nose.
A staph infection is spread always through skin-to-skin contact; once an individual is infected, the staph infection is easily passed to others. Skin-to-skin contact, cuts or abrasions of the skin, contaminated items and surfaces, crowded living conditions, and poor hygiene have all been associated with the transmission of MRSA in the community.
How is this superbug being spread through schools, hospitals, prisons and other places where people congregate? Well the bacteria like staph infections thrive in moist environments such as a locker room. If a person in there has a cut or scrape they are very venerable to getting this.
Skin infections such as abscesses and boils are the most common form of this infection but the bacteria that causes a staph infection can occur when bacteria gets into a cut or scrape and that is how it gets spread into the community. Infection can also occur when the bacteria move inside of the body through a catheter, feeding tube or breathing tube, which is where the hospital staph infections come into play. MRSA infections contracted outside a hospital are easier to treat
Infection often results in redness, swelling, and tenderness at the site of infection. Staph infections tend to be pus producing. Once the staph infection has progressed, the tissue quickly degenerates. This means surgery to remove the infected tissue or in case of it being in the bloodstream it requires a long dose of IV antibiotic.
Infections with MRSA such as the staph super bug are now treated with one antibiotic called vancomycin, which is an intravenous antibiotic. This will usually require a long stay in a nursing home or hospital as this is a 30 to 45 day antibiotic regime.
Staph bacteria can cause skin infections when it is still in the early stages and the more severe form can cause death. If you notice a cut or abrasion that is red, swollen, painful, or tender you should seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Health care professionals like my self, wear gloves to protect not only ourselves but also the patients we care for. When dealing with this super bug we must go into total gown up which does include the gloves, gown, face, hair and shoe coverings because we do not want to transmit this staph super bug infection.
Through genetic mutation, staph has developed a resistance to many antibiotics, making it a multi-resistant bacterium, or more commonly, a super bug. It can be very difficult to control once it is on the loose. What makes a multi-resistant bacterium? The over use of antibiotics does contribute to any infection that is hard to get rid of. The more we take antibiotics when we do not need them, the worse it is. Our bodies and the bacterium that live in our bodies get smart and mutate, they become a super bug that is drug resistant.
More than 90,000 Americans develop potentially deadly infections each year from a drug-resistant staph super bug, a government study said leaving them open to contracting invasive, and often fatal, diseases. This does make it a higher cause of death then HIV currently is.
My Sources are center for disease control , MRSA information can be found here and personal knowledge from working in the field.
