What is Staphylococcus aureus (staph) in the community?
Many healthy people carry staphylococcal bacteria on their skin or in the anterior nares of the nose. Some strains of staph are resistant to the antibiotic methicillin and other antibiotics; these are known as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). There are some strains of MRSA referred to as Community acquired MRSA (CaMRSA) which tend to spread in community settings. CaMRSA strains are often quite different to MRSA strains associated with hospitals and can cause disease in otherwise healthy people. CaMRSA usually manifests as skin infections such as pimples and boils, impetigo or cellulitis, and more serious infections including osteomyelitis, bacteraemia and pneumonia.
