Diagnosis of a staph infection can generally be performed by noting whether the infection symptoms are present. However, because this can be a serious skin and health problem, the diagnosis should be performed by a physician who is more experienced at examining the infection problem and more capable to properly assess the infection symptoms. Is the problem a serious infection or is it minor problem that can be easily treated? A physician will be able to perform a proper diagnosis.
The basic symptoms of a MRSA infection are redness of the skin, inflammation or swelling of the skin, oozing of pus from the wound or damaged skin area, and in more advanced cases significant pain in and around the problem skin area. A fever is also a common symptom and is a key indication that the infection is not minor and is progressing towards a more serious state. Knowing if a person has had a similar infection in the past also contributes valuable information to the diagnosis process.
Determining, with one hundred percent certainty, if the infection is MRSA or in other words whether the infection is resistant to certain antibiotics or is simply a minor infection, requires in depth laboratory testing. This testing requires the sampling of blood and also acquiring fluid or pus samples that are taken directly from the infected area. These samples are then cultured or in other words placed under favourable conditions for the bacterium to grow so that it can be properly identified. From these samples, a proper skin infection diagnosis can be made so that either standard antibiotics are prescribed by the physician or more powerful antibiotics are prescribed if the infection was determined as being a MRSA infection.
Culture tests can take up to two days for results and this can be problematic where results are required faster. New tests that look at DNA are becoming more popular and will allow for the faster diagnosis of a staph infection and consequently and more successful treatment.
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