Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffWhile you may initially consult your family physician, he or she may refer you to a specialist, depending on which of your organ systems is affected by the infection. For example, a dermatologist specializes in skin conditions, while a cardiologist treats heart disorders.
What you can do
You may want to write a list that includes:
- Detailed descriptions of your symptoms
- Information about medical problems you've had
- Information about the medical problems of your parents or siblings
- All the medications and dietary supplements you take
- Questions you want to ask the doctor
What to expect from your doctor
During your physical exam, your doctor will closely examine any skin lesions you may have. He or she might take a sample of tissue or liquid from the lesions for testing.
- Moreillon P, et al. Staphylococcus aureus (including staphylococcal toxic shock). In. Mandell GL, et al. Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2005. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/130084916-6/826085114/1259/1580.html#4-u1.0-B0-443-06643-4..50195-1_6326. Accessed April 2, 2009.
- Endocarditis. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/endo/endo_all.html. Accessed April 6, 2009.
- Staphylococcus aureus: Pathogenicity. In: Cohen J, et al. Infectious Diseases. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2004. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/130084916-6/826085114/1209/650.html. Accessed April 6, 2009.
- Archer GL. Staphylococcal infections. In: Goldman L. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/130655031-2/826443940/1492/1112.html#4-u1. Accessed April 8, 2009.
- Baddour LM. Cellulitis and erysipelas. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 8, 2009.
- Staphylococcal food poisoning. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/staphylococcus_food_g.htm. Accessed April 8, 2009.
- Fowler VC, et al. Complications of staphylococcus aureus bacteremia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 8, 2009.
- Kirkland EB, et al. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and athletes. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2008;59:494.
- Young LS. Sepsis and septic shock. Merck Manual Home Edition. http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec17/ch191/ch191c.html. Accessed April 8, 2009.
- Staphylococcus aureus (SA): Antibiotic resistance (general). National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/nih1/diseases/activities/activity5_vrsa-database.htm. Accessed April 9, 2009.
- Community-associated MRSA information for the public. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/nciod/dhqp/ar_mrsa_ca_public.html. Accessed April 9, 2009.
