How are staph infections diagnosed?
Staph infections should be confirmed by your doctor, who will visually inspect the affected skin area. If a serious staph infection is suspected, either a tissue sample or nasal secretion can be collected by a laboratory and cultured for signs of the bacteria. Laboratory testing can not only confirm the diagnosis, but it can also be helpful in determining which antibiotic will be most effective against a particular strain of bacteria. Serious staphylococcal infections that affect the blood, heart or lungs will require culturing of blood samples or other body fluids.
