Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterial infection that is highly resistant to some antibiotics.
Alternative NamesMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus;Community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA); Hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA)
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsMRSA is a strain of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria. S. aureus is a common type of bacteria that normally live on the skin and sometimes in the nasal passages of healthy people. MRSA refers to S. aureusstrains that do not respond to some of the antibiotics used to treat staph infections.
The bacteria can cause infection when they enter the body through a cut, sore, catheter, or breathing tube. The infection can be minor and local (for example, a pimple), or more serious (involving the heart, lung, blood, or bone).
Serious staph infections are more common in people with weak immune systems. This includes patients in hospitals and long-term care facilities and those receiving kidney dialysis.
MRSA infections are grouped into two types:
Staph skin infections cause a red, swollen, and painful area on the skin. Other symptoms may include:
Symptoms of a more serious staph infection may include:
Depending on your symptoms, your doctor may recommend the following tests to detect and confirm the bacteria causing the infection:
Draining the skin sore may be the only treatment needed for a local skin MRSA infection. This can be done at the doctor's office.
More serious MRSA infections, especially HA-MRSA infections, are becoming increasingly difficult to treat. Antibiotics that may still work include:
It is important to finish all doses of antibiotics you have been given, even if you feel better before the final dose. Stopping treatment early by not finishing the full course of antibiotics can lead to further drug resistance in the bacteria, or can cause an infection that seemed to be gone to come back (relapse).
Other treatments may be needed for more serious infections. The person may be admitted to a hospital. Treatment may involve:
For more information about MRSA, see the Centers for Disease Control web site: www.cdc.gov/mrsa/.
Expectations (prognosis)How well a person does depends on the severity of the infection and their overall health. MRSA-related pneumonia and blood infections are associated with high death rates.
ComplicationsSerious staph infections may lead to:
Organ failure and death may result from untreated MRSA infections.
Calling your health care providerCall your health care provider if:
Careful attention to personal hygiene is key to avoiding MRSA infections.
Archer GL. Staphylococcal infections. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier. 2007: chap 310.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overview of community-associated MRSA. October 26, 2007. Accessed January 25, 2008
Nicolle L. Community-acquired MRSA: a practitioner's guide. CMAJ. 2006;175:145.
Siegel JD, Rhinehart E, Jackson M, Chiarello L; Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee. Management of multi-drug resistant organisms in healthcare settings, 2006. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed January 25, 2008.
The most effective treatment for MRSA is typically antibiotics such as vancomycin, linezolid, or daptomycin. The choice of antibiotic may depend on the severity of the infection and the specific strain of MRSA. In some cases, drainage of abscesses or other infected areas may also be necessary.
The term "superbug" refers to bacteria that are resistant to multiple antibiotics, making them difficult to treat. Examples include MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and CRE (Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae).
A Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) infection can present as red, swollen, painful skin abscesses or boils. It may also cause pneumonia, bloodstream infections, or surgical site infections. MRSA infections can be serious and may require prompt medical treatment.
Yes, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) infections can potentially spread from the skin to the lungs through the bloodstream. Once in the bloodstream, MRSA can disseminate to other organs, including the lungs, leading to conditions like pneumonia. Prompt treatment is essential to prevent complications.
An MRSA infection could be treated successfully with with topical treatments and by keeping abscesses drained. There are some antibiotics which are used in effectively treating MRSA or Mercer. This strain of bacteria is not resistant to Vancomycin among a few other antibiotics - It is hoped that these antibiotics will remain capable in treating mercer infection.
Septic (sepsis) MRSA means that the MRSA bacteria has entered into the blood.
MRSA colonized resident means that the person is a carrier of the MRSA bacteria.
MRSA stands for methicilin-resistant staph aureus. MRSA is a type of staph, and a MRSA infection is a kind of staph infection.
does MRSA cause bacteria
MRSA can be in saliva.
No. MRSA is resistant to Amoxicillin.
MRSA is still very rare and will not be in the air. Some studies do talk of the 'MRSA' cloud that can be around an MRSA sufferer, who is ill enough that they do not move very much. An MRSA carrier who may not be ill from the bacteria but has symptoms of respitory infection that lead them to sneeze and cough can project the the MRSA bacteria all around them.
I guess you "could" get MRSA from your cheating spouse, although MRSA is not commonly spread sexually.
Warts can't cause MRSA.
can you get mrsa from a blood transfusion
MRSA was discovered in 1961 in United Kingdom.
Broken skin is how the MRSA infection is transmitted.