Staphylococcus aureus (above)
& MRSA (below).
 

Staph infections have been front-page news since the recent tragic death of a teenage boy in Virginia.  The reported reaction of that school system, temporarily closing and disinfecting 21 schools, perhaps caused a bit of panic among parents with school age children.  Although panic is understandable, concern, education and careful hygiene are much more helpful.

Staphylococcus aureus, often called “staph,” are bacteria commonly found on the skin and in the noses of otherwise healthy people displaying no outward signs of infection.  Sometimes staph bacteria cause minor infections from rashes to boils.  Generally, the report of a staph infection is of little concern to health care officials unless it is known to be an antibiotic resistant strain that can get into the bloodstream and cause serious illness.

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What Are We Dealing With

We have more than one type of antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria: VISA, VRSA and MRSA. 

Vancomycin-intermediate and Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VISA & VRSA) are specific strains of staph bacteria that have built up a resistance to the anti-biotic, vancomycin.  However, they are susceptible to other Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs.  VISA and VRSA are very rare – according to the national Center for Disease Control (CDC) only sixteen cases have been reported in the United States since 1997. 

VISA:  Michigan 1997, New Jersey 1997, New York 1998, Illinois 1999, Minnesota 2000,
Nevada 2000, Maryland 2000 and Ohio 2001. 

VRSA: Michigan 2002, Pennsylvania 2002, New York 2004 and three from Michigan in 2005. 

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was confined to hospitals and nursing homes for the most part.  This type of staph infection is resistant to most antibiotics.  In the late 1990’s, however, MRSA infections began to appear on individuals who hadn’t been hospitalized.  This gave us community acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or CA-MRSA.  This does not mean there is a new bug to worry about; it means the same bug has broadened its staging area.

Food poisoning can also be staph based.  This gastrointestinal illness is fast acting.  The infected person usually begins to show symptoms 1 to 6 hours after eating th