A friend keeps getting boils one after another in different areas. hes had antibiotics each time & used bactroban (mupirocin) for 3days. why? what else can he do?

Boils: Boils are caused by staph and strep bacteria. If the skin is not disinfected well, they often recur. There is a bleach bath (yes, as in clorox) that can be done to disinfect the skin. Call your physician for the right dose.

Culture: Find out what type of bacteria he is colonized with by nasal and lesion culture to best determine which antibiotic(s) to use. Hibiclens when showering, topical bactroban to the lesions and a course of nasal bactroban (in addition to the baths with bleach noted above) might be useful. I would also culture and decolonize close contacts with hibiclens and nasal bactroban is helpful to prevent spread.