Published date: August 21, 2017
Staphylococcus (staph) is a bacteria that lives on skin of most people and usually does not cause any problems. Most commonly, it is found in people's noses (gross!). It only becomes a problem when there is broken skin (generally from scratching) and then the bacteria gets into the skin and can cause an infection.
The normal staph bacteria causes a sore with a honey colored crust on top. This is commonly called impetigo. It can be spread from one area on a person’s body to another through scratching or from the person to another person if they have broken skin and come into contact with the sore or a surface on which drainage from a sore has been left (gym mats).