My sister in law.....

[recycled sixtie]

has a staph infection about the size of a quarter on her leg which the doc thinks came from a bug bite. She has had it several weeks. She is likely going to get penicillin/antibiotics for it. She is a high achiever and can't turn down work and being all things to all people. My wife and I think that her immune system is depressed. Does staph infection respond okay to drugs?

[M.D. Holloway]

So it was positive for staph? If so, its pretty dangerous. Young, strong people die from it everyday. From what I know about staph is that the bug stays in your system and is really tough to rid. It goes dormant but can appear later.
If it really is staph and not a cyst its nothing to mess with.

[porsche4life]

Lubey hit it. If it really is staph, she needs treatment NOW. That is some mean ****.

[Rikao4]

go..
like now...

Rika

[pavulon]

IMO, she probably needs to seen and considered for wound culture and check (in culture) for sensitivity to various antibiotics. Can we ask what makes you suspect staph. and/or a compromised immune system?

All-the-same, Rika is right, some infections can go rampant on short notice and then big trouble may ensue.

[Joe Bob]

Most Staph infections are now penicillin resistant.....eats it for lunch. Developed from people who don't finish the course of drug therapy. Ciprofloxacin Information from Drugs.com

Kill the weak sisters and leave the strong bugs....they get stronger in each generation.

[ddbach]

Her doctor will have access to the antibiograms from local hospitals which track the sensitivity and resistance of local strains of bacteria seen in patients whose cultures pass through their labs. This will help him or her select an antibiotic to begin treatment empirically. A wound culture and sensitivity to identify the pathogen and it's resistance pattern is usually done as noted by Pavulon. If she has been having fevers and chills a blood culture may also be useful. If it has been an open wound for a bit it may be polymicrobial which may change drug selection as well. More concerning is if it turns out to be methicillin resistant or vancomycin resistant, then potentially harder to treat.

Prayers for her quick response to treatment.

[recycled sixtie]

She is being treated by a doctor and we will see what transpires. I thank you for your prof. opinions.

[Noah930]

FWIW, the term "staph infection" is fairly meaningless. I'd wager probably about 80-90% of community-acquired (non-hospital acquired) skin infections are "staph infections." After all, staph is by far the most prevalent bacteria around on the skin. But like ddbach mentioned, it depends on what type of staph is causing the infection, and specifically to which antibiotics it is susceptible/resistant. Through bacterial evolution and overuse of antibiotics, bacteria have grown resistant to traditional antibiotics; hence while it seems the easy way to go, from a societal perspective you don't want to overtreat an infection, either. It also matters what the rest of her health profile is like. Best wishes to your SIL.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by ddbach

Her doctor will have access to the antibiograms from local hospitals which track the sensitivity and resistance of local strains of bacteria seen in patients whose cultures pass through their labs. This will help him or her select an antibiotic to begin treatment empirically. A wound culture and sensitivity to identify the pathogen and it's resistance pattern is usually done as noted by Pavulon. If she has been having fevers and chills a blood culture may also be useful. If it has been an open wound for a bit it may be polymicrobial which may change drug selection as well. More concerning is if it turns out to be methicillin resistant or vancomycin resistant, then potentially harder to treat.

Prayers for her quick response to treatment.

Yeah, what he said.



Many years ago my younger brother broke his ankle, and for some reason it got infected even though the skin was never broken.
Doc said it was staph.
They had to cut his ankle open down to the bone and hand-clean everything out (scrape, scrub)and pack it with gauze and then he had to go back in to have the wound cleaned and re-packed every day. ouch.
It stunk pretty bad for a while time it finally healed, the wound did not completely close for like 4 months.

[daepp]

My 16 yo wrestler keeps fighting it, and he's healthy and tough.

[pavulon]

wrestling mats can be FULL of bad bacteria.

[968rz]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Yeah, what he said..

She actually.

[matt f]

Originally Posted by daepp

My 16 yo wrestler keeps fighting it, and he's healthy and tough.

You may already use this product but I will post it. Hibiclens is what a lot of wrestling programs are using to combat outbreaks.

[daepp]

Yeah - we are buying that stuff all the time, and it has been the only thing that works!

[Crowbob]

I have heard bad things about MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staph Aurea). Really bad things. I understand you usually get that bug at the hospital.