If you have Staph, you also need to know about MRSA
If you have a Staph infection (short for Staph aureus), then you have more antibiotic treatment options than for MRSA. However, Staph can easily turn into MRSA, which is more resistant to antibiotics. While Staph and MRSA are the same species of bacteria, there are some important differences when it comes to your treatment choices and their effectiveness.
Some types of Staph can become MRSA
Because Staph aureus bacteria can turn into MRSA, a standard Staph infection can progress into MRSA over time. Staph has more opportunities to become MRSA if you’ve taken a lot of antibiotics. Staph can also turn into MRSA by using an antibiotic that doesn’t work. The risk also increases if you stop taking an antibiotic before the end of the prescribed course.
Keep in mind that many Staph infections never turn into MRSA. Other infections can change to MRSA over weeks, months or years, depending on many factors, including antibiotics you’ve taken and any exposure to MRSA. This is why culture testing is so important. Testing can help your doctor choose antibiotics more likely to work against Staph, wiping out the infection before it can change into MRSA.
Staph vs MRSA antibiotics
Many common antibiotics still work against Staph infections. MRSA on the other hand is resistant to most common antibiotics, so your treatment options using these drugs are more limited for MRSA than for Staph. Sometimes it’s even possible for your infection to stop without treatment. But most doctors will prescribe antibiotics for moderate to severe Staph infections.
One of the big dangers with MRSA is taking antibiotics that have no hope of stopping the infection. The best way for your doctor to prescribe the right antibiotic is to get a MRSA test. Because MRSA and Staph can look the same, testing is the best way to tell them apart. Unfortunately, many people never get a test and end up taking the wrong antibiotics.
Alternatives for Staph vs MRSA
When it comes to alternative treatments, many have demonstrated little to no risk of bacteria resistance. Therefore, the best natural remedies for Staph can also work against MRSA. Natural infection-fighting substances have evolved alongside bacteria over great periods, keeping pace with bacterial evolution and mutation. Such substances can not only inhibit or kill bacteria, they often work in concert with your body’s defense systems to aid recovery. Alternatives are therefore an excellent option if antibiotics stop working.
