To answer the question what are the symptoms of Staph and what are the symptoms of MRSA, it is important to understand that most MRSA symptoms are identical to traditional Staph infection symptoms; MRSA is simply a type of Staph infection.

Common signs of MRSA infection and Staph infection symptoms

Staph infection symptoms of swelling and reddening at a vaccination site resulting in cellulitis. Photo Credit: CDC/ Allen W. Mathies, MD, (Calif/EPO), Immunization Branch

The symptoms of MRSA and the symptoms of Staph are not only similar but are also commonly mistaken for other infections or spider bites. This makes proper diagnosis of either Staph infection symptoms or MRSA symptoms very important so you get the correct medical attention as soon as possible.

Please use this information as a helpful guide, not as a substitute for testing and confirming your condition with the help of your doctor. Only a professional bacterial culture test or bacterial DNA test can confirm if you have an MRSA infection or a Staph infection.

The most common visible MRSA symptoms are: bumps, pimple-like lumps, or blisters on the skin (these are also the symptoms of a Staph aureus infection in general). Lumps on the skin are often accompanied by swelling and reddening of the surrounding skin area. The center of the lump often has a white or yellow pus filled head, which sometimes drains on its own.

The lumps are often tender, itchy and warm to the touch and can become deep sores with increasing pain and swelling if left unchecked. The color of the surrounding skin area is often red to purple and may begin to spread as the infection progresses.

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MRSA and Staph infections are often diagnosed as causing one of the following conditions:

• Boils – Also called furuncles, boils are bumps with a pus filled head. If boils enlarge and grow together, they can form a multi-headed lump called a carbuncle. It is important that you do not try to lance or drain these on your own.
• Folliculitis – Similar to boils, Folliculitis is the deep infection of a hair follicle, usually less than a quarter inch in diameter, often surrounded by an area of inflamed red or pink skin.
• Impetigo – Crusty oozing bumps, blisters or lesions, usually yellow to red in color, that break open easily. Impetigo is common on the face and can spread easily to other parts of the body.
• Abscess – Pus filled cavities under the skin that rarely have a head or drain on their own. You can sometimes feel the fluid inside of an abscess if you press on it with your fingers. It is important that you do not try to lance or drain these on your own.
• Cellulitis – A deeper more serious infection with significant swelling, tenderness, deeper red color and increasing size. Sometimes red streaks on the skin may radiate out from the center of the cellulitis. Bumps and blisters may or may not be present with cellulites.

Staph infection symptoms and signs of MRSA infection can show up anyplace on your body but are more common in the following specific areas:

• Areas of clothing friction and irritation, such as the legs, buttocks and shaving areas
• Sweaty areas like armpits, neck, face, groin and feet
• Deeper infections like cellulitis are most common on the arms, hands, lower legs and face.

 

Staph infection symptoms versus MRSA symptoms

Because MRSA is a specific type of Staph infection, symptoms of Staph and symptoms of MRSA share many of the same signs or characteristics. However, MRSA superbug symptoms differ from traditional Staph infection symptoms in that MRSA bacteria have learned to adapt to most common antibiotics, making them more virulent.

If you have the following indicators in addition to the MRSA symptoms or Staph infection symptoms listed above, you may have MRSA:

• Minimal or no improvement after taking antibiotics for 2 to 3 days.
• Rapid spreading of your infection
• A prior history of MRSA infections

More serious symptoms of MRSA infection

Most MRSA and Staph infections are limited to the skin. However, Staph can also enter your bloodstream and spread to internal organs. More serious Staph infections symptoms or MRSA symptoms that can result from an internal infection are:

• Fever
• Chills
• Weakness or fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Rashes
• Headache
• Muscle aches
• Nausea
• Acute pain

If you show signs of a skin infection and have any of the above symptoms, consider seeing a doctor as soon as possible. The following serious conditions can occur with internal Staph infections or MRSA infections:

• Staphylococcal pneumonia – Abscess formation in the lungs. An underlying lung disease is the usual precursor.
• Endocarditis – Infection of the heart valves that can lead to heart failure.
• Osteomyelitis – Infection of the bones that causes severe inflammation.
• Staphylococcal sepsis – A widespread infection in the bloodstream that can lead to shock, circulatory collapse and death. People with large areas of severe burns are particularly susceptible.

See the MRSA Pictures page for mrsa pictures and staph infection pictures.

Other symptoms of MRSA infection

Other signs of MRSA infection (and Staph infection symptoms) are not directly related to the Staph bacteria themselves, but to the toxins that the bacteria produce. These toxins, called enterotoxins, are waste products that the bacteria make while they are alive. Enterotoxins can also be parts of the bacterial cell walls that shed after the bacteria are dead.

Enterotoxins are not transmitted from person to person, so the conditions they cause are not contagious. Also, you can be exposed to enterotoxins from bacteria that are already dead. That means that the enterotoxins alone can cause illness without you ever getting a staph infection. Exposure to bacterial enterotoxins can cause the following conditions:

• Food Poisoning – A condition in the bowels usually caused by eating foods that are contaminated with staph enterotoxins. Symptoms of nausea, vomiting, dehydration and diarrhea usually begin within several hours of eating contaminated food and typically resolve on their own within 3 days.
• Toxic Shock Syndrome – This condition is usually associated with menstruating women who use tampons. Symptoms of fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and muscle aches can lead to low blood pressure, shock and potentially death. A sunburn-like rash may also be present.

If you think you have a Staph infection or MRSA, consider visiting with your doctor or an infectious disease specialist (an I.D. doctor) to get a bacterial culture test to confirm what is causing your condition.

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