I feel SO SORRY for my little Jos!! Yesterday as Adam and I were changing her diaper, we noticed a sore on her calf. It was kind of rough to the touch and scaly and red. We were pretty concerned, although it didn't seem to bother her a bit. After calling my mother, we called our pediatrician to see what they thought about it. They told us it could be a spider bite or contact dermatitis, and told us to keep an eye on it. Well, at church today we showed her leg to a doctor and a pediactric nurse. (there are a lot of medical professionals at church thank goodness!) Both said it looked like a staph infection. Our hearts sank. It kind of scared us, considering recent news about a teenager who died from one here in KY.
We came home from church and researched on the internet. After reading a few things and seeing pictures, we decided to call our pediatrician's office once again. This time the pediatric nurse suggested we take her into a walk-in clinic or ER. So we took her to a walk-in clinic where we waited in the waiting area for 2 hours. Joselyn did surprisingly well... she even took her afternoon nap laying on my shoulder. When we finally saw the doctor she looked at it and confirmed what we had been told by our friends at church... a MRSA Staph infection. A culture was taken just to be 100 % positive and we will know for sure on Wednesday. Joselyn was given antibiotics to fight the infection and the doctor gave us some reassurance that she will be ok.
BUT... that doesn't make things any better for us. We have to take every precaution that her wound is completely covered so that it won't spread and no one else will be affected, and our house needs to be cleaned like it has never been cleaned before. Even giving her a 'bath' has been a challenge, because we didn't feel it was sanitary to give her one... afraid that the wound would contaminate the water (ironic, huh?) So a sponge bath it was, and she was NOT happy about that. We bandaged AND taped her wound so she couldn't bother it and changed her sheets before putting her to bed. (something we will have to do every day now)
So, how did she get this staph infection? No one knows. Staph bacteria are apparently everywhere. In fact, the doctor who saw Joselyn today said that in her 30 years of practice, she's seen at least 2 people a day who had a staph infection. Not very promising is it?
Adam has ALWAYS been OCD about cleanliness and such... he already washed his hands every few minutes. He is MORE OCD now and I am definitely going to be more careful myself. No one needs to worry about getting a staph infection from Jos though. We have done everything to prevent the spread of it and the doctor has told us that friends and family can be assured that they will be ok too! But just for information purposes, here is an informative article about staph infections.
from medicinenet.com:
What is Staphylococcus?
Staphylococcus is group of bacteria, familiarly known as Staph
(pronounced "staff"), that can cause a multitude of diseases as a
result of infection of various tissues of the body. Staph bacteria can
cause illness not only directly by infection (such as in the skin), but
also indirectly by producing toxins responsible for food poisoning and toxic shock syndrome. Staph-related illness can range from mild and requiring no treatment to severe and potentially fatal.
The name "Staphylococcus" comes from the Greek staphyle meaning a bunch of grapes and
kokkos meaning berry, and that is what Staph look like under the
microscope, like a bunch of grapes or little round berries. (In
technical terms, these are gram-positive, facultative anaerobic,
usually unencapsulated cocci.)
Over 30 different types of Staphylococci can infect humans, but most infections are caused by
Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococci can be found normally in
the nose and on the skin (and less commonly in other locations) of
20%-30% of healthy adults. In the majority of cases, the bacteria do
not cause disease. However, damage to the skin or other injury may
allow the bacteria to overcome the natural protective mechanisms of the
body, leading to infection.
Who is at risk for Staph infections?
Anyone can develop a Staph infection, although certain groups of people are at greater risk, including newborn infants, breastfeeding women, and people with chronic conditions such as diabetes, cancer, vascular disease, and lung disease. Injecting drug users,
those with skin injuries or disorders, intravenous catheters, surgical
incisions, and those with a weakened immune system all have an
increased risk of developing Staph infections.
What are the symptoms and signs of a Staph infection?
Staphylococcal disease of the skin usually results in a localized collection of pus, known as an abscess, boil, or furuncle. The affected area may be red, swollen, and painful. Drainage or pus is common.
How are Staph infections diagnosed?
In cases of minor skin infections, Staphylococcal infections are
usually diagnosed by their appearance without the need for laboratory
testing. More serious staphylococcal infections such as infection of
the bloodstream, pneumonia, and endocarditis require culturing of
samples of blood or infected fluids. The laboratory establishes the
diagnosis and performs special tests to determine which antibiotics are
effective against the bacteria.
How are Staph infections treated?
Minor skin infections are usually treated with an antibiotic ointment such as a
nonprescription triple-antibiotic mixture. In some cases, oral antibiotics may
be given for skin infections. Additionally, if abscesses are present, they are
surgically drained. More serious and life-threatening infections are treated
with intravenous antibiotics. The choice of antibiotic depends on the
susceptibility of the particular staphylococcal strain as determined by culture
results in the laboratory. Some Staph strains, such as MRSA (see next section),
are resistant to many antibiotics.
What is antibiotic-resistant Staph aureus?
Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, known as MRSA, is a type of Staphylococcus aureus that is resistant to the antibiotic methicillin and other drugs in the same class, including penicillin, amoxicillin,
and oxacillin. MRSA first appeared in patients in hospitals and other
health facilities, especially among the elderly, the very sick, and
those with an open wound (such as a bedsore) or catheter in the body.
MRSA has since been found to cause illness in the community outside of
hospitals and other health facilities. MRSA in the community is
associated with recent antibiotic use, sharing contaminated items,
having active skin diseases, and living in crowded settings. The U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about
12% of MRSA infections are now community-associated, but this
percentage can vary by community and patient population.
MRSA infections are usually mild superficial infections of the skin
that can be treated successfully with proper skin care and antibiotics.
MRSA, however, can be difficult to treat and can progress to
life-threatening blood or bone infections because there are fewer
effective antibiotics available for treatment.
The transmission of MRSA is largely from people with active MRSA
skin infections. MRSA is almost always spread by direct physical
contact and not through the air. Spread may also occur through indirect
contact by touching objects (such as towels, sheets, wound dressings,
clothes, workout areas, sports equipment) contaminated by the infected
skin of a person with MRSA. Just as S. aureus can be carried on the skin or in the nose without causing any disease, MRSA can be carried in this way also.
More recently, strains of Staph aureus have been
identified that are resistant to the antibiotic vancomycin, which is
normally effective in treating Staph infections. These bacteria are
referred to as vancomycin-intermediate resistance S. aureus (VISA) and vancomycin-resistant Staph aureus (VRSA).
