In some cases, staph skin infections may clear up by themselves without any treatment needed. If there is a superficial abscess with no sign of systemic infection, the first line of defense is draining the abscess with no need for antibiotics. In many cases, however, antibiotic treatment is required.

Only about 10 percent of current staph infections respond to penicillin. The rate is somewhat higher for other common antibiotics, but most staph infections seen today are resistant to at least one type of antibiotic. Since common antibiotics don’t work on MRSA, stronger antibiotics are required. In hospitals and other health care settings, doctors often rely on the antibiotic vancomycin to treat MRSA, which must be given intravenously. CA-MRSA may be also treated with vancomycin or with other antibiotics that have proved effective against particular MRSA strains. Other antibiotics used to treat MRSA include clindamycin, minocycline, daptomycin, linezolid, and combination quinupristin/dalfopristin.

Unfortunately, even though vancomycin saves many lives today, it is not likely to remain the drug of choice for long. Increasing use of vancomycin raises the probability that most staph bacteria will become resistant to it in the not too distant future. Some hospitals are already seeing strains of MRSA that are difficult to treat with vancomycin. Some newer antibiotics are now available to help treat staph infections, but they are very expensive and, as you may have already guessed by now, staph bacteria will eventually become resistant to them as well.