What is a staph infection? Exploring what causes the infection that affected Ben Askren and how it spreads

Over the past few weeks, Ben Askren has been battling severe pneumonia due to a staph infection. After getting hospitalized in his home state of Wisconsin last month, he also recently underwent a critical double lung transplant.

Staph infections are common among MMA fighters, largely due to the sport's full-contact nature. Let's examine what causes this infection and how someone could contract it.

What is a staph infection?

A staph infection is caused by the Staphylococcus bacteria, which are commonly found on the skin or nasal passages of most healthy people. While these germs normally don't cause any major health issues, they can cause deadly problems upon entry into the body.

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The most common symptom of a staph infection is getting boils, blisters, and red sores on the skin. Apart from the skin, the bacteria can also wreak havoc on a person's lungs, heart, digestive system, bones, and bloodstream if left untreated.

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Thanks to their tenacious and hardy composition, the staph bacteria can survive drying, extreme temperatures, and stomach acid. Which means that they can thrive on commonly touched surfaces like pillows, curtains, towels, mattresses, gym equipment, training gear, and razors.

While proper hygiene and self-care keep the staph bacteria at bay, an infection can be caused by excessive skin-to-skin contact with an infected person or untreated cuts, bruises, or gashes.

Given the nature of combat sports like MMA or wrestling, a staph infection is an unsurprisingly common occurrence among fighters. In the past, high-profile fighters like Paulo Costa, Jiri Prochazka, and Sean Strickland have opened up about their experiences dealing with staph infections.

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According to Mayo Clinic, most staph infections can be treated with antibiotics, either orally or intravenously. An infected individual stops being contagious around 48 hours after beginning antibiotic treatment. However, if left untreated, the staph bacteria can cause potentially fatal conditions.

About the author

Nishant brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his MMA reporting for Sportskeeda. During his 1.5 years with the organization and previous work, Nishant has established himself as a prolific writer in the MMA community. With a Bachelor's degree in Media and Journalism and a Master's degree in International Relations, Nishant's educational background enhances his analytical and reporting skills.

Nishant admires UFC legend Georges St-Pierre for his dominance and exemplary conduct inside and outside the cage. The monumental UFC 229 event, headlined by a grudge match between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, captivated Nishant and solidified his passion for MMA.

Nishant focuses on delivering high-quality content by giving attention to detail, and rigorous fact-checking via multiple layers. His dedication is evident in his achievement of publishing over 1.7K articles and accumulating 4.4 million reads in less than two years.

Nishant feels that it is only a matter of time that MMA takes over Boxing as the no.1 combat sport. Beyond MMA, his interests include philosophy, music exploration, and wildlife photography.

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Edited by Nishant Zende.