[abadger9]

That's crazy, I was actually diagnosed with this about 3 days ago - it's living on my skin and I went to the doctor because an area of my skin was visibly red and smelling "fleshy" according to the doctor. Currently on antibiotics that I wasn't too fond of taking but after seeing this, will probably be more aggressive with it.

[ZhadruOmjar]

Please take Staph seriously, it will kill you if you let it. Keep a track of where your skin is red and if it spreads a lot you should go to a hospital and get IV antibiotics. Your doctor can help with all of this but the short of it is, take it seriously.

[sandworm101]

Yup. Iv antibiotics are way more tolerable than pills. I was put on three days of morning iv treatment few years ago because of an infection. Iv days were great. I sat in the er for an hour and went to work as normal. Then they switched me to a week of pills ... i barely left the bathroom for 10 days. Do not fear the iv needle.

[abadger9]

Thanks, I am - after reading this article also ordered "Jarrow Formulas" probiotic with this MB40 strain.

[chasil]

The University of Iowa published new surgical guidelines some time ago for eliminating nasal staph prior to surgeries.

Many surgical patients with staph complications actually infected themselves, and did not acquire their strains from their hospital surroundings.

My coworker lost a leg to an infection in 2008 after a joint replacement. It is unfortunate that this procedure was not in place at that time.

https://now.uiowa.edu/2013/06/be-gone-bacteria

[Fomite]

There's a lot of work in decolonization right now, either with competing bacteria (like the parent article) or with various decolonizing agents.

"Many surgical patients with staph complications actually infected themselves, and did not acquire their strains from their hospital surroundings."

Community acquired Staph is a huge thing. The number of people who get infected from yoga mats, scrapes and cuts playing sports, etc. is huge. The NFL had a problem in locker rooms too a few years back.

[bitL]

I knew someone who got it on a hand, then it started spreading fast in a single line, then he was rushed to the hospital and ended up with all hands and legs amputated. Don't underestimate it.

[Aldipower]

S. Aureus brought me into hospital for a complete month. Infection in my hip. Nobody knows how it came in. I was 39 years old at this time, that's why I am still alive. I had to take 3 variants of antibiotics at once for 4 months, which killed my liver. Luckily too, the liver could regenerate itself after the treatment. :) Amazing bio device this organ is. The pain killers were the good part. :-P This is a damn sort of bacteria. But in my understanding, almost everybody has some colonies on their skin. So don't panic, but don't be to lax with it.

[DantesKite]

Spencer's Gel is actually surprisingly good at killing S. Aureus.

Highly recommend. Works fast too.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079S1MVWK?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_...

[vvvvvvvvvvvvv]

I finally ordered this after seeing it recommended multiple times for this purpose. Does anyone have first-hand experience with it?

I have a recurrent impetigo infection on my face stemming from dry skin / eczema, with my partner as a possible source of re-infection. I'm hoping this product will make it a less common occurrence, as it's quite debilitating and has persisted for over half a year. The dermatologists I've seen have been of little assistance, only presenting me with drug-based treatments (monthly injections, immunosuppressants) and no advice for treating the root cause.

Topical antibiotics seem to be the only temporary solution for now, as systemic antibiotics seem to have no effect.

[acchow]

If it's on your skin, what's the advantage of using this over, say, 50% isopropyl alcohol?

[tguvot]

What about some phage therapy https://mybacteriophage.net/en-us/collections/bacteriophages... . It's made in Georgia in company that researches phage therapy for past few decades

[peatmoss]

I'm not an expert here, but I think part of the selling point of phages is their specificity in targeting a particular bacterial strain, and then having the capacity to co-evolve with bacteria to that might otherwise develop immunity to a particular compound. I'd assume this is a valid approach, but probably relies on having a phage "in stock" that targets the particular strain of staph.

By contrast, a probiotic is sort of an ecological approach. Rather than targeting the staph directly, you just introduce something benign that competes with the staphylococcus, preventing it from dominating the environment (i.e. overwhelming your body).

I have an on again off again relationship with culturing kefir. Regular consumption of kefir produced from healthy cultures definitely feels like an immunity shield from food poisoning. I like to imagine that any pathogenic bacteria that find their way into my gut are roughed up by the locals.