What are the Symptoms of the MRSA Infection?

MRSA, or Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, is an infectious skin disease that can be potentially fatal. MRSA infections are resistant not only to methicillin but also amoxocillin, penicillin and oxacillin. The infection can occur in both health care settings among those with a weakened immune system or in the community among healthy people who have not recently been in a hospital or clinic.

Symptoms

• MRSA, like other staph infections, is characterized by the development of a bump or infected section on the body.

Specific Appearance of Infected Area

• The area of infection may be swollen, red, filled with pus or another drainage or painful. A patient may also have a fever along with an infected area of skin. The infection could penetrate the skin and go deeper into the body, leading to other problems like surgical wound infection and infections in the bones and joints, among other potentially deadly complications.

At-Risk Groups

• Exposure to this illness may occur among those in hospitals. Individuals who interact closely with other people on a daily basis as in school settings or athletic events like wrestling matches, may also be at higher risk for getting MRSA. Clusters of infections have also been studied by the Centers for Disease Control in military recruits, athletes and children, among other groups.

Prevention/Solution

• The infection can be controlled by various methods. Not sharing personal items like razors and clothing with other people, using good personal cleanliness, not touching wounds and covering broken skin with a bandage are ways to avoid spreading or getting infections. Cleaning dirty clothing with hot water and bleach and utilizing a hot dryer to dry them is another good preventative measure.

Treatment

• Undergoing a careful anti-bacterial treatment in addition to a certain amount of isolation from other patients are ways that MRSA can be treated successfully. Although it is possible for the infection to return after being cured, using preventative measures like maintaining good hygiene and not sharing personal items from another person can be employed to prevent this, according to the CDC.