Article: Staph bacteria are a common cause of food poisoning. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea and, when caused by staph, usually subside in a day or so. Call your doctor if you don’t feel better within 24 to 48 hours. In the meantime, avoid overexerting yourself and drink plenty of water, sports drinks, or Pedialyte to stay hydrated. Try to keep down plain rice, soup or broth, and other bland foods. Wash your hands frequently to help prevent spreading germs, especially if you’re vomiting or have diarrhea. Septic arthritis is a joint infection often caused by staph bacteria. Schedule an appointment with your doctor if you experience symptoms such as intense joint pain, redness, swelling, and fever. Infections typically occur in the knees, ankles, or toes and, usually, only one joint is affected.  Symptoms of septic arthritis develop suddenly. In other forms of arthritis, joint pain and swelling develop gradually, often occur at distinct times during the day, and typically affect more than one joint. Your doctor will perform an examination and take a bacterial culture. They’ll aspirate the joint, or remove excess fluid to decrease swelling. If they determine you have an infection, they’ll inject medication into the joint or prescribe oral antibiotics. TSS can occur when staph bacteria spread to the bloodstream and internal organs. Symptoms include fever above 102 °F (39 °C), disorientation, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, and a red rash on the bottoms of the hands and feet. TSS is a medical emergency and requires immediate care. It can result from using a tampon for longer than the recommended amount time or from an infected burn, wound, or surgical site. Sepsis is a serious condition caused by the body’s immune response to a widespread bacterial infection. Symptoms include fever above 102 °F (39 °C), chills, disorientation, rapid heartbeat, and shortness of breath. Without prompt treatment, sepsis can lead to blood clots, poor blood flow, and organ failure.  Sepsis is a medical emergency, so you need to go to the hospital as soon as possible if you have an infection that isn’t healing and have symptoms of sepsis.  While anyone can develop sepsis, it’s more likely to occur in people with compromised immune systems, infants, the elderly, people with chronic illnesses (such as kidney or liver disease), and after a serious burn or injury.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Get rest and drink plenty of fluids if you have food poisoning. See your doctor if you think you might have septic arthritis. Seek emergency medical care for signs of toxic shock syndrome (TSS). Get immediate help if you have symptoms of sepsis.