Signs of MRSA Infection

If you've noticed small bumps on your skin or have a wound that could be infected, you might want to schedule a visit with your doctor. MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, infections can affect people of any age. Hospital-associated MRSA, or HA-MRSA, and community-associated MRSA, or CA-MRSA, represent two strains of this bacterial infection. Both types can lead to serious and even life-threatening problems for certain groups of people.

Significance

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that about 94,360 people developed a serious MRSA infection in 2005, and 18,650 of these people died as a result. The CDC reports that HA-MRSA strains were associated with about 85 percent of these infections. HA-MRSA generally occurs or develops in hospitals and living facilities, putting patients and the elderly at high risk of infection. Invasive devices such as catheters and certain antibiotics, such as fluoroquinolones, also cause an increased risk of HA-MRSA. Children, athletes and people with weakened immune systems face the greatest risk of suffering from a CA-MRSA strain. Overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions or regular contact with health care employees also increases risk of this type of MRSA.

Causes

• Staph bacteria can be found in one-third of the general population and are usually harmless. When they enter your body through a cut, they can cause mild skin problems if you're in good health. Serious staph infections usually occur in older people and those with compromised immune systems, but strains of this condition that are resistant to antibiotics have been causing severe infections in young and healthy people as well. The antibiotic resistance of these strains, known as MRSA, can result from overuse or unnecessary use of antibiotics, germ mutation or antibiotics found in livestock and water systems. Germ mutation occurs when bacteria survive one antibiotic treatment and become resistant to that particular drug.

Symptoms

• Symptoms of MRSA include tiny red bumps that can develop into deep abscesses that require surgical draining. The bacteria can enter your body and cause infections in the bloodstream, bones, surgical wounds, lungs, joints or heart valves that could be fatal. If you have a scrape or wound that becomes red and warm or oozes pus and develop a fever, see your doctor so you can be tested for MRSA. Testing should be done before being given any antibiotics for other staph infections, as these drugs won't work against MRSA and could cause severe illness or further bacterial resistance.

Treatment

• Treatment for both strains of MRSA involves the use of certain antibiotics, such as vancomycin, which have proved effective against resistant germs. These antibiotics could become ineffective, however, due to germ mutation. The Mayo Clinic reports that some strains of MRSA are starting to show resistance to vancomycin. In some cases, treatment might only involve draining an abscess if the infection is mild to avoid unnecessary antibiotic use.

CA-MRSA Prevention

• Wash your hands with soap and water for 15 seconds several times a day and carry a hand sanitizer with you when you go out. Keep cuts clean and bandaged, especially if you have an infected wound that might contain MRSA. Don't share personal items such as towels or clothing. Athletes should avoid sharing equipment, take showers after all practices and games and avoid playing if they have an infected wound. Wash clothes, bedding and towels with hot water and use the heat setting on your dryer. Wash athletic uniforms and gym clothes each time you wear them. Follow all directions for antibiotic use to decrease bacterial resistance. Have your doctor test you for MRSA if you are being treated for a skin infection.

HA-MRSA Prevention

• If you are hospitalized, make sure hospital employees wash or sanitize their hands before any physical contact with you. Keep your hands clean and sanitized as well. Hospital staff that insert invasive devices such as intravenous tubes should sterilize your skin and wear a mask, gloves and gown. You can also protect friends and family members who are hospitalized by following these guidelines. Hospitals isolate patients with MRSA to prevent the infection from spreading. Hospital surfaces should be regularly disinfected. Hospitals also attempt to reduce MRSA by tracking bacterial outbreaks and looking into using safer products, such as catheters coated with antibiotics.