Our little twin girls have just been swabbed for it after getting some nasty rashes/spots in their groin areas.

Never heard of it before and a Google throws up the usual scare stories (including associations with MRSA) so would like to hear some real-life experiences if anyone has any…

Cheers

Staph aureus is pretty commonly found up the nostrils of lots people and often on intact healthy skin but it’s capable of causing infections too (commonly skin infections but pretty much anywhere and can be severe – don’t panic; it’s “everywhere” and we’re not all dead)

MRSA is “just” staph aureus that’s learnt to live with more antibiotics than run-of-the-mill staph aureus. Makes it a bit harder to treat but still possible as long as you know what still works. In the UK it’s mostly found on people who’ve been in hospitals, nursing homes etc

Presumably they’re swabbing your girls to see if an antibiotic course would clear the rash, or even just to be sure that a rash from other causes hasn’t become full of staph as well

Bit more background – they both ‘had’ the rash – the mild cream they prescribed cleared up one girls’ rash, but not the other’s – she got a stronger steroid cream but it still wouldn’t go. She ended up on Arythmacin (sp) oral antibiotics. The rash has mostly gone but is still visible and the doc doesn’t think it has fully gone. Now the other twins’ rash has started again (with a single raised and painful spot).

So they are now both on the arythmacin and have been given some different cream and bath ointment.

Wanting to get it cleared up before they start school in a couple of weeks…

Arythmacin

erythromycin, azithromycin, …? (both those are common enough antibiotics)
The cream/ointment bit sounds like they mostly suspect dry skin, possibly a bit of eczema or something given the steroid comment (clearly I dunno what they’re really thinking or even what these products actually are) but the raised painful spot is presumably why (re)starting antibiotic

swab will be to see what if anything’s growing there (other than routine skin bugs) and confirm which antibiotics are a good choice

erythromycin

Is the one I think – the foul-tasting one that is very gritty (hence stresses getting two 4 yr olds to take it). One girl does have some eczema (but oddly not the one they gave the steroids to).

But yes – hopefully the swabs will identify the best (next) course of action if the latest prescriptions don’t work.

Thanks for your advice 🙂

MRSA is Staph Aureus that is resistant to methicillin which means it is very hard to kill. You will get plenty of scare stories because of this. However, Staph Aureus is naturally found on your skin and is part of a healthy body. Basically you have a huge number of bacteria (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_microbiome) on your body that help you.

However, some of these in the wrong place can be bad. Again of the top of my head some saddle sores are caused by staph aureus that has found its way into the hair follicles or sweat pores on your skin. This may be what your girls have – a particularly bad sweat rash) A basic course of antibiotics fixes it.

They managed to give me a nice Staph Aureus infection in the wound left by removing the plate from my smashed tibia. I seem to remember it was a pretty upleasant smell, and hurt like a bastard when they took the stitches out of the infected wound. They then had to clear it up with antibiotics and as the skin on the front of my shin died and fell off, they had to build the scar back up using hydrocolloid dressings. That didn’t smell too nice either. All in all the resultant scarring has left with me a leg that has ruined my modelling career, but is always good as a conversation piece when I’m wearing shorts…. usually along the lines of : “Jesus , what the clucking bell happened to your leg?”

SA is part of quite normal skin flora, and its only a worry if it gets past the skin and colonises (same for MSRA). If you have a rash that is being scratched then all the antibioitics are doing are killing what got inside, not all of it and it can recolonise if the broken skin isnt healed. The re-infection may also now be resilient to the erythromycin, or could be an opportunisitc different infection agent. You need to swab and get path lab to culture and tell you what it is and what antibiotic resistance / sensitivity they have.
But you need to clear up infection and clear up rash to stop recolonisation, steroid cream promotes skin recovery but cut their fingernails right back to stop scratching and use both steroid and I would suggest maybe consider an atopic antiseptic as well. Also try and get as much air to it – dresses not trousers etc. I have ecsema and I use ointment not cream, I find it harder wearing and less itchy -the 1% hydrocortisone available over counter is sufficent for this purpose.
Make sure your girls take any antibiotics at the times required and for the full course, stopping early creates greater risk of resilience building in the SA flora on their bodies.
I’m not a doctor but after 35 courses of antibiotics during my daughters short life I have learned a bit.