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staph

staph

14 7.6
A type of bacteria that can cause skin or blood infections and can be hard to treat with antibiotics
  • noun
  • /stæf/
  • Informal
translation icon : estafilococo
  • A staph infection can lead to serious health complications if left untreated.
  • staph infection

I actually had what was most likely a staph infection that I had to take antibiotics for.

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Examples

  • Collins says Downey eventually learned he was infected with MSSA, a "nasty cousin" of MRSA, a type of staph infection resistant to certain antibiotics.

    Blog text (3)
  • My son developed a staph infection in his eye in the first 24 hours after birth.

    Blog text (23)
  • Does he die from a staph infection?

  • Have you ever heard of a staph infection?

  • The staph infection is eating away his skin.

  • A staph infection could kill.

  • I actually had what was most likely a staph infection that I had to take antibiotics for.

  • It is a staph infection.

  • You don't want to get a staph infection.

  • The joy was short-lived, however, because I soon developed a staph infection in my chest.

    Fiction book (2002)

Synonyms

staphylococcus
vsstaph
  • Specialized
3 7.9

A kind of bacteria that lives on skin and can cause infections like boils

is a specific bacterium within the taxonomic genus rather than the genus itself
staphylococci
vsstaph
  • Specialized
1 9.5

Tiny round germs that form grape-like clusters and may cause skin infections

is one specific bacterium within that genus rather than the group
genus Staphylococcus
vsstaph
  • Specialized
6.3

A group of round bacteria, many of which cause skin infections, pneumonia and food poisoning

is a single bacterium within that taxonomic group rather than the whole group

Compounds

Staph epi
  • Jargon
7.4

A common skin bacterium that often causes infections in hospitals

Surface Forms

staph singular
staphs plural

Etymology

Staph is a short form of staphylococcus, which comes from Greek staphyle meaning 'bunch of grapes' and coccus meaning 'berry'. The name fits because these bacteria are small round balls that often grow in groups like a bunch of grapes, and some of them can cause infections.