Drugs Used to Treat MRSA Staph

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcusaureus (MRSA) is a staph bacteria that has become resistant to normal antibiotics. MRSA is a growing problem for health care workers, as each year there are fewer and fewer antibiotics that kill this infection.

Common Antibiotics

• MRSA bacteria have become resistant to the effects of methicillin and other common penicillin-type antibiotics. However, newer and stronger antibiotics have been developed that are effective against MRSA.

Vancomycin

• Vancomycin hydrochloride is an antibiotic that was developed to treat infections of the intestines that cause colitis. It has been found to be effective in treating MRSA, although newer strains of MRSA have proved resistant to vancomycin.

Teicoplanin

• Teicoplanin is an antibiotic that breaks down the walls of bacteria and kills them. It's used primarily to treat infections of the heart and blood, and has been shown to be effective against MRSA. It isn't absorbed in the digestive system, so must be injected.

Glycopeptides

• Glycopeptides have historically been a last line of defense antibiotic. Telavancin, bleomycin, ramoplanin and decaplanin have all been tried against MRSA with varying degrees of success.

Avoiding Reinfection

• If your physician prescribes an antibiotic, be sure to take it exactly as he prescribes. If you feel better or your infection looks like it has healed, don't stop early. It is the last few days of an antibiotic regimen that actually kills the most resistant germs and prevents the infection from returning.

Warning

• Your doctor may drain the infection, prescribe antibiotic ointment for your nose and daily showers with antibiotic soaps. Follow the instructions your doctor gives you to the letter to avoid reinfecting yourself or infecting others. Don't try to handle an MRSA infection yourself.