Without knowing, you’ve probably heard of Staph aureus. In recent times there’s been a lot of information on the news and in the media about a hospital “superbug” known as MRSA.

MRSA is the abbreviation for “Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus“, which is a strain of this bad bug that’s resistant to antibiotics.

We don’t see this bad bug too often when we run stool tests, but I’d say I’ve seen it around a dozen times in the last five years or so. In many ways, this is a good thing as Staphlococcus aureas isn’t very friendly at all!

According to Dr. Alex Vasquez:

“Gastrointestinal colonization with Staph aureus should be eradicated immediately due to the well-known inflammatory consequences of the toxins and superantigens this bacterium produces. Staphylococcus aureus is a gram-positive bacterium, certain strains of which produce the toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) that produces scalded skin syndrome, toxic shock syndrome, and food poisoning; other strains of Staph aureus that do not produce TSST-1 are also capable of causing toxic shock syndrome from colonization of bone, vagina, wounds, or rectum. Gastrointestinal colonization with Staph aureus is a known cause of acute colitis, and nasal carriage of this bacterium appears to trigger autoimmunity in patients with Wegener’s granulomatosis.”

Already, you can see that this bad bug has the potential to cause problems in the gut, skin, vagina and bone, which isn’t ideal to say the least. As Dr. Vasquez also states, it also has the ability to cause sinus problems:

“Patients with acute and chronic rhinosinusitis commonly display a rich mixture of bacteria and fungi in their sinuses. Regarding bacteria, both anaerobic and aerobic bacteria are seen, as are gram- positives such as Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus sp., and gram-negative (endotoxin-producing) species including Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Bacteroides, Haemophilus parainfluenzae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Peptococcus/Peptostreptococcus.”

Acute and Chronic Symptoms

There’s a lot of confusion and controversy about the ability of certain bad bugs to cause ongoing, chronic symptoms.

The US Food and Drug Administration Bad Bug Book carries the following passage:

“This bacterium, often called “Staph” for short, can cause food poisoning. It’s very common in the environment and can be found in soil, water, and air, and on everyday objects and surfaces. It can live in humans and animals. Staphylococcus aureus is found in foods and can make toxins (enterotoxins) that might not be destroyed by cooking, although the bacterium itself can be destroyed by heat. These toxins can cause nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea. In more severe cases, the toxins may cause loss of body fluid (dehydration), headache, muscle cramps, and temporary changes in blood pressure and heart rate.”

What they don’t mention is the fact that Staphylococcus aureus seems to be able to hang around for a lot longer in some people, causing or contributing to milder ongoing symptoms in the gut and possibly elsewhere in the body.

This is a common problem – medics often assume that gut bugs cannot possibly be present unless you have fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea.

But the literature is full of information showing how bad bugs can live in your gut and cause mild to moderate digestive symptoms and contribute to problems elsewhere in your body.

In my career I’ve seen dozens of different symptoms magically disappear when digestive health has been restored and it frustrates me that medicine hasn’t grasped these concepts as yet.

Getting Yourself Tested

If you’ve found this article because you’re experiencing certain symptoms and you’re looking for reasons for those symptoms, I recommend you either arrange a consultation with a Hompes Method practitioner or order a comprehensive digestive health check-up package.

Footnote:

Over the years, my clients have told me that one of the most frustrating aspects of dealing with bad bugs is the contradictory information they see on the Internet.

Staph aureus is a classic example. This bad bug clearly infects the digestive system, yet some of the leading medical websites don’t acknowledge this fact.

The bullet points below are copied and pasted directly from the Emedicine website and you can see there’s no mention whatsoever of Staph aureus in the gut.

I wish the information would be more consistent and it’s my hope that the Hompes Method website helps to clear up some of the confusion.

Information on manifestations of S. aureus as per Emedicine:

• Skin and soft tissue (impetigo): A small area of erythema that progresses into bullae (filled with cloudy fluid) that rupture and heal with the formation of a honey-colored crust.
• Scalded skin syndrome (Ritter disease): A relatively rare, toxin-mediated disorder with superficial fragile blisters that burst, leaving a tender base; often accompanied by fever and occasionally by mucopurulent eye discharge.
• Folliculitis: A tender pustule that involves the hair follicle.
• Furuncle: Small abscesses characterized by exuding purulent material from a single opening; involves both the skin and the subcutaneous tissues in areas with hair follicles.
• Carbuncle: An aggregate of connected furuncles, with several pustular openings.
• Bone infections (osteomyelitis): In children, sudden onset of fever and bony tenderness or a limp; pain may be throbbing and severe; however, presentation in neonates can be subtle.
• Septic arthritis: Decreased range of motion, warmth, erythema, and tenderness of the joint with constitutional symptoms and fever; however, these signs may be absent in infants (in whom the hip is the most commonly involved joint).
• Endocarditis: Initially presents as fever and malaise; peripheral emboli may be present; may involve healthy valves.
• Toxic shock syndrome: Fever, diffuse macular erythema, and hypotension, with involvement of 3 or more organ systems; can be rapidly progressive in previously healthy individuals.
• Pneumonia: Most common in infants, young children, and debilitated patients; a short prodrome of fever followed by rapid onset of respiratory distress; prominent GI symptoms may also occur.
• Thrombophlebitis: Fever, pain, and occasionally erythema at the insertion site of an intravenous catheter; usually affects hospitalized patients.
• Deep tissue abscess and infection: Muscles and organs can become infected, including the parotid gland, eyes, liver, spleen, kidneys, and central nervous system; deep abscesses also may occur; fever with or without localizing pain is typical.