Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a bacterial infection that is resistant to certain antibiotics. Many people — 25% to 30% in the United States — have Staph (staphylococcal) bacteria on their skin and in their noses. These bacteria are generally harmless, but they sometimes cause infection through breaks in the skin.
Anyone can get MRSA, but the risk increases for people with hospitalizations or nursing home stays, skin-to-skin contact with others (such as in contact sports), and exposure to crowded and unhygienic places.
Symptoms
The symptoms of an S. aureus infection, including MRSA, depend on the part of the body that is infected. Broken skin, such as scrapes or cuts, is often the site of a MRSA infection. Most S. aureus skin infections, including MRSA, appear as a bump or infected area on skin that might be:
- Red
- Swollen
- Painful
- Warm to the touch
- Full of pus or other drainage
- Accompanied by a fever
You cannot tell by just by looking at the skin if it's a MRSA infection.
Prevention
Maintain good hygiene:
- Maintain good hand and body hygiene. Clean your hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Clean your body regularly, especially after exercise.
- Avoid sharing personal items such as towels, washcloths, and razors.
Keep wounds clean:
- Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with bandages or dressing until healed.
- Follow your health care provider's instructions about proper care of the wound. Pus from infected wounds can contain MRSA.
- Do not pick at or pop the sore.
- Throw away bandages and tape with the regular trash.
- Use barriers, like a towel or clothing, between your skin and shared surfaces.
Keep surfaces clean:
- Use disinfectants that work against MRSA to clean frequently used items such as computer keyboards or handheld electronic devices. Also clean surfaces that contact people's bare skin like desks, chairs, benches, gym equipment, lockers, faucets, light switches, and remote controls.
Diagnosis and Treatment
A health care provider must send a clinical specimen to a laboratory to determine if MRSA is the cause of an infection.
Providers often prescribe antibiotics to treat MRSA infections. While MRSA can be resistant to several antibiotics, meaning these drugs cannot cure the infections, there are antibiotics available to treat MRSA infections.
Some types of S. aureus infections need a procedure or surgery to drain infected areas.