The vast majority of people recover from staphylococcal infections. Antibiotics often destroy microorganisms immediately after they are administered. However, reinfection and the need for further treatment do occur on occasion. If your staph infection recurs, specialists at NYU Langone may prescribe more medicine to alleviate your symptoms. In severe cases, surgery may be required to remove infected tissue or devices. Staph bacteria can develop resistance to drugs commonly used to treat them. This resistance is seen most frequently with penicillin and cephalosporin antibiotics. When this happens, other treatments will be needed. Infections caused by resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are difficult to treat and may require additional antibiotics or other interventions. Resistance can also arise during therapy when an organism doesn't respond to an antibiotic. The development of drug-resistant organisms is one of the major threats to modern medicine. To prevent its emergence, antibiotics should only be used when necessary and should never be given as a preventive measure against viruses or bacteria. Finally, a staph infection can recur if you are not fully healed after being treated for it. This is usually evident by new sores or wounds that don't heal up properly. You may also have ongoing signs of inflammation even after you no longer have a visible skin problem. In such cases, doctors may recommend additional antibiotics or other measures to prevent future infections.