Staph infection
Staphylococci are bacteria that live permanently on the skin and mucous membranes of a great many healthy people without giving any sign of themselves.
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Medicines commonly prescribed for Staph infection
For informational purposes only. Always consult a doctor before using any medicine.
Dosage form: TABLET, 875/125 mg/mgActive substance: amoxicillin and beta-lactamase inhibitorManufacturer: Viatris Pharmaceuticals S.L.U.Prescription requiredDosage form: NASAL PRODUCT, 20 µg/gActive substance: mupirocinManufacturer: Glaxosmithkline S.A.Prescription requiredDosage form: ORAL SOLUTION/SUSPENSION, 25 mg of amoxicillin/6.25 mg of clavulanic acidActive substance: amoxicillin and beta-lactamase inhibitorManufacturer: Viatris LimitedPrescription required
Staphylococci are bacteria that live permanently on the skin and mucous membranes of a great many healthy people without giving any sign of themselves. Infection begins when they reach deeper tissue through a cut, a graze, a bite or an inflamed hair follicle. Most often it stays confined to the skin and clears readily, but the same bacteria can cause severe illness, so it is worth knowing where the line falls.
How it shows on the skin
- Boil, carbuncle, abscess — a firm painful lump with pus inside;
- erysipelas and cellulitis — diffuse redness with swelling, the skin hot and tender;
- impetigo — blisters and weeping sores with honey-coloured crusts, commoner in children and easily passed on;
- styes and conjunctivitis — painful redness and swelling of the eyelid or eye;
- folliculitis — small pustules at the base of hairs.
On brown and black skin redness is harder to see, so swelling, skin temperature and pain are the better guide.
When to seek urgent help
Most skin infections are not dangerous. But staphylococcus can enter the bloodstream, and then time is counted in hours. Seek urgent care if there is:
- a high fever with chills and marked weakness;
- redness spreading rapidly, or red streaks running from the site;
- confusion or heavy drowsiness;
- a fast heartbeat, breathlessness, a drop in blood pressure;
- severe pain out of keeping with how the site looks;
- infection on the face near the eye or around the nose and upper lip;
- a sunburn-like rash with fever in connection with tampon use or after surgery.
A routine appointment is needed if a site is no better after a week, is enlarging, keeps returning, or if you have diabetes, a weakened immune system, or a joint or valve prosthesis.
Treatment
The approach depends on the form. Small pustules and folliculitis often settle with proper skin care. Abscesses and boils are treated by incision and drainage — antibiotics do not replace this, because the drug barely reaches the inside of a pus-filled cavity. For cellulitis, widespread impetigo and any general symptoms, antibiotics are prescribed: topically or by mouth, and intravenously in hospital for severe cases.
One important point: some staphylococci are resistant to the usual antibiotics — this is MRSA. If treatment is not working or the infection returns, the clinician takes a swab for culture and sensitivity and selects a drug on that basis. This is why it is not a good idea to start an antibiotic yourself from what is left in the cupboard: time is lost and the culture result is muddied.
A course of antibiotics needs finishing in full, even when you feel better by the second day.
How to avoid passing it on
The bacteria spread through close skin-to-skin contact and shared items.
- wash your hands with soap and water regularly, especially after treating the site;
- keep wounds clean and covered with a dressing until they heal;
- do not share towels, flannels, razors or bedding;
- wash laundry and towels at a high temperature;
- do not squeeze pus-filled lesions — that drives the infection inwards and to neighbouring skin.
Common questions
A swab found staphylococcus — do I need treatment? Carrying it without symptoms usually needs no treatment. It is considered separately before certain operations and in recurrent infections.
Why do boils keep coming back? Carrying staphylococcus in the nose, diabetes, iron deficiency or a skin condition can lie behind it. In that situation investigating makes more sense than treating each episode in isolation.
Can I go to work with impetigo? It is contagious. The usual advice is to stay at home until treatment has started and the crusts have dried, and for children not to attend nursery or school.
Online consultation
In an online appointment a doctor can assess photographs and symptoms, decide whether topical treatment is enough or antibiotics are required, recognise the signs that call for urgent in-person care, and look into why infections keep recurring. Draining pus-filled lesions is done in person.
This article is for general information and does not replace a consultation with a doctor.
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Medically reviewed by
Reviewed on Jul 2, 2026
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