Question
Is it contagious if it becomes badly infected on the skin? If so, what are the chances of this being spread in restaurants, motels, airplanes, etc?
Erik.
Answer
Erik,
There are various forms of staphyloccocus. One form is naturally on your skin almost always.
The forms of staph that cause severe infection however must somehow get past the bodies built in barriers to infect. Such as a break in the skin. If you have a cut on your hand and touch something infected with staph, you may become infected.
Let's use a hypothetical situation.
You have an unhealed cut on your hand and you visit a friend in the hospital who has a nasty staph infection on their leg. You will not get it from being in the room with him. Now let's say your friend asks you to straighten the pillow under his leg. The pillow is most likely contaminated, you touch it with an open wound, the chances of infection are high.
All bacteria has a means of transmission. Direct contact means you touch something contaminated and introduce it into your body through an open wound, wiping your eye or nose which then introduces it into your system.
Air-borne transmission occurs when you breathe in the bacteria. Such as: Someone with the flu sneezes or coughs and you inhale the minute particles in the air. Or they cough into their hand (airborne) touch a door knob, you come right behind them, touch the door knob then wipe your eye (direct).
There are other means of contamination such as exchange of blood/body fluids, but only some bacteria can be transmitted this way.
Most bacteria depend on a host (living organism) to sustain life. Once removed from the host (transferred to an inanimate object) the bacteria will continue to live but will die or become inactive after a certain amount of time. The amount of time depends on the type or strain of bacteria, the item contaminated, etc.
Most contaminated objects can be cleaned with soap, hot water, or bacteriocidal agents such as hospitals use, (all restaurants must use gemicidal agents in the dishwashing process). Even one of the most feared, contamination with the HIV virus can be cleaned using household bleach.
Good handwashing (longer than thirty seconds with hot water and soap) will protect you from most bacteria.
By the way, I am curious as to what prompted this question. Do you have a specific concern?
Keeping you safe, healthy, and on the road.
Nurse RedVisit us at