Staph infections are caused by Staphylococcus bacteria, and the most common form is Staphylococcus aureus. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 30 percent of healthy persons carry these germs in their nose. They can also be present on the skin, mostly causing relatively minor skin infections or no problems at all. But sometimes staph infections can spread to the bloodstream, urinary tract, lungs and heart, and become life threatening.
Staphylococcus aureus produces many toxins, increasing its ability to invade the body and damage tissues or organs. Different antibiotics can help treating staph infections. A physician can choose the most suitable antibiotic by identifying the type of staphylococcus behind the infection. Patients should use only the antibiotics that their doctors prescribe, follow their recommendations and use them for the full amount of time prescribed. Side effects may occur, so it is important to read the drug insert or pharmacy sheet to get familiar with them.
Penicillin
Penicillin is an antibiotic originally extracted from the mold Penicillium. It kills bacteria by blocking the formation of their cell wall while they are growing. Unfortunately, excessive use of penicillin led to development of penicillin-resistant staph strains. They produce the enzyme penicillinase, which destroys penicillin. Therefore, penicillin is effective only against strains that did not develop this resistance. According to the FDA, penicillin can cure less than 10 percent of staph infections.
Erythromycin
Erythromycin is a frequent alternative drug to penicillin, especially for children, because it can be administered orally with added flavors. It kills bacteria by blocking their protein synthesis.
Penicillinase-Resistant Penicillins
The first semi-synthetic penicillin developed to be resistant to penicillinase was methicillin. Because of its overuse, many staph strains became resistant to methicillin, and it is no longer used to treat patients in the U.S. Other penicillins similarly resistant to penicillinase include cloxacillin and oxacillin.
Methicillin-Resistant Anti-Staphylococcus Aureus Medications
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus---MRSA---is highly resistant to some antibiotics, first of all methicillin. To treat MRSA, doctors can prescribe linezolid---brand name Zyvox, daptomycin---brand name Cubicin, ofloxacin---brand name Floxin or vancomycin---brand names Vancocin and Lyphocin.
Vancomycin is one the most effective drugs against methicillin-resistant staph bacteria, according to the FDA. Vancomycin kills bacteria by inhibiting synthesis of their cell wall. The widespread use of vancomycin to treat MRSA has led to the selection of vancomycin-resistant bacteria, which is considered a medical emergency.
Nasal Carriage of Staphylococcus Medications
Certain antibiotics can help the treatment of nasal staph infections. They include muciprocin---brand names: Bactroban and Centany, rifampin---brand names: Rifampin and Rimactane. Bactroban also treats infections of the skin such as impetigo, a contagious and painful staph-caused rash.
Bacitracin
Bacitracin blocks the growth of bacteria by inhibiting its cellular wall synthesis. As an ointment bacitracin is an antibiotic for the eye.
Moxifloxacin hydrochloride
The brand name of this antibiotic is Avelox. It fights skin staph infections.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Staph Infections
- "Microbiology: An Introduction"; Gerarad J. Tortora, Berdell R. Funke Ph.D. and Christine L. Case; 2007
- World Health Organization: Blood Safety and Laboratory Technology
- Drugs: Drug Information Online
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Battle of the Bugs: Fighting Antibiotic Resistance
