Diagnosing and Treating a Staph Infection in Your Nose

Staphylococcus aureus is a common bacteria that also goes by the names S. aureus and “staph.” You can get a staph infection in your nose, but carrying staph in your nose is far more common. Around 1 in 3 people in the U.S. carry staph in their nose. Most of the time, this doesn’t cause any problems and doesn’t need treatment. 

Let’s take a look at the difference between carrying staph and a staph infection in your nose. 

What is a staphylococcal nasal infection?

Staphylococcal nasal infection is an infection of the skin or tissues inside your nose. The bacteria S. aureus is usually the culprit. Most people with S. aureus in their nose never get sick, because the bacteria live harmlessly on the surface without invading the skin. Infections can happen when those bacteria get past that skin barrier, usually through a small break in your skin.

How do you get staph inside your nose?

Everyone has bacteria that live on and inside their body. Bacteria live on your skin, nose, mouth, intestines, and genitals. In most cases these bacteria aren’t harmful — some even help with digestion, and others prevent infection from more dangerous bacteria. “Colonization” occurs when a bacteria lives on you without causing damage. 

S. aureus, or staph, may live harmlessly on your skin and inside your nose. Staph can colonize you when you come into contact with another person who has the bacteria or if you touch a surface that has staph on it. 

Everyone will come into contact with staph bacteria at some point in their lives. But it isn’t clear why only some people become colonized and carry staph in their nose or on their skin.  

Is a staphylococcal nasal infection serious?

A nasal staph infection can be serious because it can spread to other parts of the body and cause serious infections. The most common types of nasal staph infections are:

• Nasal folliculitis (vestibulitis)

• Nasal furunculosis 

• Chronic nasal sores

People who carry staph in their nose can develop nasal staph infections. Some things increase your risk of developing a nasal staph infection, such as:

• Picking your nose

• Blowing your nose often, like when having an upper respiratory tract infection or allergies

• Waxing or plucking nasal hair

• Having a nasal piercing

People who are receiving certain types of cancer treatment or who have diabetes may also be at higher risk of developing these types of nasal staph infections.

What are the symptoms of a staphylococcal nasal infection?

Symptoms of a nasal staph infection can include:

• Pain

• Redness

• Crusting around the nostrils

• Bleeding from the nose

• Warmth of the nose

• A bump inside the nose

How do you diagnose a staphylococcal nasal infection?

A healthcare professional can test you for staph infections in your nose. They can also test if you carry staph in your nose.

In both cases, they will do a quick test where they rub a nasal swab on the inside of your nose. Then they test this swab for staph bacteria. If you need surgery, you might need to do this test a few days before your surgery. 

What’s the treatment for a staphylococcal nasal infection?

If you have a staph infection in your nose, treatment can include:

• Topical antibiotics, like mupirocin ointment

• Oral antibiotics, like clindamycin 

• Pain medication, like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil)

• Warm compresses and nasal saline rinses

You will also need to avoid touching your nose as much as possible until the infection heals. 

Frequently asked questions

Why trust our experts?

Written by:

Christine Giordano, MD

Christine Giordano, MD, is board-certified in general internal medicine. She received her medical degree from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and completed residency at Thomas Jefferson University.

Edited by:

Alex Eastman, PhD, RN

Alex Eastman, PhD, RN, is a California-based registered nurse and staff medical editor at GoodRx, where he focuses on clinical updates and Latino health.

Reviewed by:

Farzon A. Nahvi, MD

Farzon Nahvi, MD, is an emergency medicine physician and author of “Code Gray: Death, Life, and Uncertainty in the ER.” He works at Concord Hospital in Concord, New Hampshire, and teaches at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.

Our editorial standards

Meet our experts