question about staph infections

[gregftl]

my partner has gotten 6 staph infections (boils) on his butt within the last year or so. each time they don't go away on their own and his doctor has to lance them and give him antibiotics.

well, this time the boil didnt need to be cut because it isnt as bad as the others and his doctor just gave him some bactroban cream to put on it and some antibiotics.

i went in to get my lab results last week and decided to consult my doctor about this problem. she told me that my partner's doctor needed to do a swab inside of his nose to see if he is a carrier of staph. she told me people can be carriers without actually having boils, etc. she told me the frequency of him getting them made her think he needed the swab test. she also told me if the test came out positive that my partner's doctor would need to prescribe him some nasal ointment to get rid of the staph inside of his nose.

ok, i told my partner to do this and he went in today to  have his labs drawn and while he was there he spoke with his doctor. his doctor told him the nose swab wasnt necessary and told him he was just prescribe him some more bactroban CREAM and use that inside of his nose. is this safe?? the first prescription of this stuff he got the people at the county health department put a sticker on the box saying for external use only. i was looking at the walgreens site on drug info and there is a bactroban cream, which he has, a bactroban ointment and a bactroban nasal ointment. shouldnt his dr have given him the nasal ointment. i'm not so sure he should be sticking this cream up his nose if is for external use only or is it just all the same stuff just comes in different forms?

i was thinking maybe the  nasal ointment has different inactive ingredients than the cream that made it safe to stick up the nose......but i'm not a doctor so that's why i am here asking u guys.

any opinion would be appreciated.

thanks
greg

[JohnOso]

Greg,

I am not a doctor, but I know that when I had my surgery for MRSA last year I was put on a "decontamination" regimen before going back to work.  This consisted of chlorhexidine applied in the shower (which I stole from work), and mupirocin (Bactroban) ointment applied to the nasal passages.

The mupirocin tube I have in front of me right now as I type, is a 2% ointment.  I'm sure the pharmaceutical companies have come out with a Bactroban nasal ointment, which they charge considerably more for (as it's such a "specialized" product).  No doubt with all the hype about MRSA infections, they've sensed some $$$$ to be had in such a product.

In addition, whenver we are "decontaminating" patients at work, we use the same old Bactroban ointment (nothing 'nasally-oriented').  The data sheets say only that an ointment shouldn't be used in neonates and infants.

BTW, my doctor said, "You'll probably be colonized again in a few days anyway.  So you really don't have to do it if you don't want to..... "

I think it's safe for your partner.

Take care,
John

[gregftl]

the stuff he has is cream, not ointment.