Osteomyelitis

Osteomyelitis is a bone infection that is caused by bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus, or staph infection. This infection often effects teens and young adults because they are not always careful when it comes to cuts and scrapes. If the cut is not cleaned properly, that sometimes leads to a more serious infection of the bone. The most common osteomyelitis is hematogenous osteomyelitis which is when the bacteria enters the bloodstream through an infected laceration which then makes its way to the bone. Another way bacteria gets into the bone is directly, when the bacteria travels through body tissue to the bone. Symptoms of osteomyelitis to look for are serious pains in the infected bone, fever, chills, nausea, and tiredness. The skin over the infected bone may be red, sore and swollen. If you have any of these symptoms it would be wise to see a doctor as soon as possible to get it checked out. The doctor can do a number of things to figure out if there is an infection of the bone like a physical examination, x-ray, MRI, bone scan, or blood test. The blood test will tell if the white blood cell count is up which means there is an infection. If osteomyelitis is detected the doctor will use a needle to take a sample of the bacteria from the bone. This will allow the doctor to choose the correct antibiotic. Some cases of osteomyelitis are more severe and will cause hospitalization for a short period of time. The best way to prevent this infection of the bone is by keeping cuts and wounds cleaned and covered.

"Teens Health"
http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/bones/osteomyelitis.html