Golden Staph: Causes, Treatment and Prevention

Golden staph is the everyday name for the germ S. aureus, which lives harmlessly on the skin or in the nose of about one in three people. It causes trouble when it gets into a cut, a scratch or the bloodstream, leading to skin infections such as boils and, less often, serious infections in hospital. Most skin infections are mild and treatable, and simple hygiene stops most spread.

Key takeaways

• About a third of people carry the germ on their skin or in their nose without being sick.
• It most commonly causes boils, school sores and infected wounds.
• Some strains, known as MRSA, resist common antibiotics.
• Handwashing with soap, covering cuts and not sharing towels stop most spread.
• Call 000 for fever with spreading redness, confusion or feeling very unwell.

Infections Caused by Staphylococcus Aureus

This germ causes a wide range of infections, from small skin boils to rare but serious bloodstream, bone and heart infections. What is golden staph bacteria, exactly? It is a round germ that grows in golden clusters in the lab, and aureus is Latin for golden, which gave it its name. The table compares the common kinds of infection.

Most infections occur in healthy people with a break in the skin, while the serious ones happen more often in healthcare settings.

Symptoms of a Staph Skin Infection

A staph skin infection usually shows up as a red, swollen, hot and painful area, often with a yellow or white head of pus. A golden staph infection of a hair follicle becomes a boil, while one in a cut makes the wound weep, crust or smell. Other symptoms can include a mild temperature and tender glands nearby. Bacteria can spread deeper from the skin, so redness that grows, red streaks, or a fever and chills are warning signs. People with an intravenous drip or line in hospital, or who inject drugs, are at higher risk of bloodstream infections.

How Golden Staph Gets Into the Body

The germ gets into the body through broken skin, such as a cut, graze, insect bite, eczema patch or surgical wound. It passes on by skin contact and on shared towels, razors and sports gear, and your own nose is often the source. Hospitals and other healthcare settings see more serious infections because patients have wounds, drips and weaker defences, and MRSA can spread between them. Methicillin-resistant strains are now also common in the community, and MRSA is a frequent cause of boils in some parts of Australia.

Types of Staph Infection, From Boils to Bloodstream

Staph infections range from skin infections, the most common type, to infections of the bone, joints, heart valves and bloodstream, and pneumonia in the lungs. A bloodstream infection is the most serious, because the germ can travel to the heart or bones, and it is treated in hospital. Some strains also make toxins that cause food poisoning or, rarely, toxic shock. MRSA, short for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, causes the same kinds of infection but is harder to treat, because methicillin and related antibiotics do not work on it. A doctor commonly takes a swab or blood test to find out which strain is involved before choosing treatment for a bloodstream or deep infection.

Treatment for Staph That Resists Antibiotics

Resistant staph is treated by draining any pus and, where needed, using an antibiotic that still works against that strain, chosen from a swab result. A small boil often needs only a warm compress and keeping it clean, as many drain and heal on their own. A larger abscess usually needs to be opened and drained in person. MRSA in a wound or boil may need a different antibiotic tablet, while serious infections are treated in hospitals through a drip. Never squeeze a boil, and finish any course of antibiotics the doctor prescribes.

Everyday Hygiene to Stop Golden Staph Spreading

Good hygiene is the best way to stop the germ spreading at home, at work and at the gym. Wash your hands with soap and water often, keep cuts and wounds clean and covered until healed, and do not share towels, razors, clothes or sports gear. Wash bedding and towels in hot water if someone has a skin infection, and wipe down shared gym equipment. What is golden staphylococcus most likely to spread through? Hands and shared items, so these steps work against MRSA as well as other resistant strains. If boils keep coming back, a doctor may suggest an antiseptic body wash and a prescription nose ointment to clear the germ you carry.

When a Staph Infection Needs a Doctor

A staph infection needs a doctor if the redness is spreading, a boil is larger than a 20 cent coin or not draining, a wound is weeping pus, you have a fever, or boils keep coming back. See a doctor sooner if you have diabetes, a weakened immune system or a recent hospital stay, as infections acquired there are more likely to be resistant. Call 000 for fever with spreading redness, a fast heartbeat, confusion or feeling very unwell, which can mean bacteria in the blood. A Medio GP can assess a skin infection in a phone consult, may ask for a photo sent securely, and can give a pathology request for a swab. A boil that needs draining must be seen in person.

Summary

Golden staph disease ranges from mild boils and school sores to rare bloodstream infections, and the resistant strain MRSA needs the right antibiotic, chosen by a swab. Clean, covered cuts, soap and not sharing towels prevent most infections. If you are worried about golden staph, a Medio GP can assess you by phone, advise on care and, where the doctor thinks it right, give a pathology request for a swab or send an eScript.

Frequently asked questions

Is Staphylococcus the same as Staphylococcus aureus?

No. The staphylococcus group has many members, and most of the others live harmlessly on the skin. S. aureus is the one most likely to cause infections, and its resistant form is methicillin-resistant S. aureus, or MRSA. Community-acquired MRSA is caught outside hospitals, often through skin contact.

Can eczema cause staph infections?

Eczema does not cause the germ, but cracked, itchy skin lets it in, so people with eczema often get infected flares that weep, crust or turn yellow. Keeping eczema under control with moisturisers and treatment lowers the risk. An infected flare needs a doctor, who may prescribe an antibiotic.

Can a doctor help with golden staph?

Yes. A doctor can look at the signs and symptoms, take or arrange a swab to see if it is MRSA or another strain, and decide whether you need an antibiotic. By phone, a Medio GP can review a photo and arrange the swab, and will tell you if the infection needs to be seen in person.

How to stop being a staph carrier?

Many people carry the germ for years without harm, so clearing it is only worth doing if you keep getting boils or other infections. A doctor may suggest a five-day routine of an antiseptic body wash and a nose ointment on prescription, plus washing towels and bedding in hot water. Bacteria gain antibiotic resistance when antibiotics are overused, so these treatments are used only when needed.

Where is the most common place to get staph?

The most common place to pick up staph is close contact with family at home, followed by gyms, sporting groups, childcare and schools, where skin contact and shared gear are common. MRSA in childcare and schools spreads the same way, and a child with a skin infection should see a GP in person. Hospitals are a common place for the most serious infections.

What soap kills Staphylococcus aureus?

Ordinary soap and water removes the germ from your hands, and alcohol hand rub kills it well. For repeated infections, a doctor may suggest an antiseptic wash containing chlorhexidine. Different types of skin infections need different care, so ask a doctor if a sore is not healing, and MRSA infections can be treated once the strain is known.