This bacteria is the source of “staph” infections, which can occur in healthcare settings, result from food poisoning, or become life-threatening infections resistant to antibiotics, including methicillin-resistant staph (MRSA). According to some of the most recent data from the CDC, nearly 20,000 people died from bloodstream staph infections in 2017.
Almost one third of people naturally carry staph in their noses without causing any problems, but if the bacteria finds a way to enter the bloodstream, it can lead to a serious infection. The CDC has more details information on the four different types of staph germs: MRSA, methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA), and vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA).
Although hospitals and other healthcare settings, such as nursing homes and outpatient surgery centers, are common places for staph infections to break out, they can also begin in the community, particularly if an open wound becomes infected or the bacteria is transmitted via injection drug use. While MRSA is familiar to many people, the general public may be less aware that staph can also cause food poisoning when the toxins produced by the bacteria cause gastrointestinal illness. Fortunately, food poisoning from staph is milder than most other types of food poisoning. Nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea are common, but the symptoms rarely last longer than a day or cause severe illness.