A staphylococcal infection or staph infection is an infection caused by members of the Staphylococcus genus of bacteria. These bacteria commonly inhabit the skin and nose where they are innocuous, but may enter the body through cuts or abrasions which may be nearly invisible. Once inside the body, the bacteria may spread to a number of body systems and organs, including the heart, where the toxins produced by the bacteria may cause cardiac arrest. Once the bacterium has been identified as the cause of the illness, treatment is often in the form of antibiotics and, where possible, drainage of the infected area. However, many strains of this bacterium have become antibiotic resistant; for those with these kinds of infection, the bodys own immune system is the only defense against the disease. If that system is weakened or compromised, the disease may progress rapidly. Anyone can contract staph, but pregnant women, children, and people with chronic diseases or who are immuno-deficient are often more susceptible to contracting an infection. Types
Other infections include:

Closed-space infections of the fingertips, known as paronychia. Suspected involvement in atopic dermatitis (eczema), including related clinical trials. Coagulase-positive
The main coagulase-positive staphylococcus is Staphylococcus aureus, although not all strains of Staphylococcus aureus are coagulase positive. These bacteria can survive on dry surfaces, increasing the chance of transmission. S. aureus is also implicated in toxic shock syndrome; during the 1980s some tampons allowed the rapid growth of S. aureus, which released toxins that were absorbed into the bloodstream.
Sterile or sterility may refer to:

Asepsis, a state of being free from biological contaminants
Sterile (archaeology), a sediment deposit which contains no evidence of human activity
Sterilization (microbiology), any process that eliminates or kills all forms of life or removes them from an item or a field
Sterility (physiology), an inability of a living organism to effect sexual reproduction
Infertility, a medical condition which prevents a person, an animal or a plant from bearing children, especially through natural means
Sterile Records, a record label which was formed by Nigel Ayers and Caroline K of the post-industrial music group Nocturnal Emissions in London in 1979

See also
Sterilization (disambiguation)