When Conor McGregor’s picture appeared on social media with a nasty bruise on his elbow, everyone took notice. They all suspected he had a nasty staph infection. The furor was so large that Connor had to take to social media himself to deny the allegations.
What are Staph Infections?
Staph infections are caused by a bacteria called staphylococcus. These bacteria are commonly found in the nose and on the skin. In dojos and among fighters, due to the close contact and sharing of the mat, etc, it is easily transmissible. They usually go away on their own. However, occasionally, they linger and blow into serious infections that need antibiotics.
Like in the case of Robert Whittaker. His infection got so serious that he started having organ damage and needed surgery. The other side of this is MRSA. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria are the same bacteria but resistant to antibiotics and are slightly more difficult to treat.
Staph infections can also lead to life-threatening toxic shock syndrome. This is when the bacteria enters the bloodstream and starts causing organ damage.
Symptoms of Staph Infections
Staph infections start as innocuous red bumps or boil on the skin. They could be in areas with high sweat accumulation like underarms, elbows, groin, feet, and hands. These small bumps can be treated with an antibacterial cream.
If untreated, the skin can become hot and swollen. The tiny bump can slowly progress to a pus-filled abscess. At this point, you may experience pain and fever. The abscess will likely need to be incised and drained. And you will need a full course of antibiotics. A culture of your boil will determine the bacteria you have and what antibiotics you will need.
If you have a systemic infection, you may experience high fevers, large blisters that coalesce along the skin, and pain, the infection is escalating. Other signs might include vomiting, rash, diarrhea, and sore eyes.
How to Prevent staph Infections at the Dojo?
First, understand that staph lives on the skin. They can spread through close skin contact, sharing mats, towels, and cloths. They can also spread through droplets in coughs and sneezes but this is less common.
You cannot always prevent them but there are some measures you can take to reduce their transmission.
Staph Infections Are Serious
Just because Conor Macgregor has been able to brush away his Staph infection and fight while on antibiotics, this is not a small thing. Staph infections can become serious if the bacteria enter your bloodstream.
It can shut down your vital organs very quickly sending you into septic shock. Before that happens, a few hygiene practices, infections control, and environmental cleanliness can go a long way in preventing Staph infection from becoming life-threatening.
