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Causes of MRSA Staph Infections

If you have to go into the hospital or if you play on a sports team, you have to worry about developing MRSA (Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus), a potentially deadly bacterial infection. MRSA can spread as easily as you share your belongings.

  1. The Organism

    • Staphylococcus aureus (staph) is a bacteria that can cause serious infections. Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one form of this bacteria. It can be spread easily through the air if someone with a MRSA-caused lung infection coughs and spreads droplets.

    Antibiotic Resistance

    • MRSA is resistant to antibiotics because the staphylococcus bacteria mutates easily in order to develop resistance to antibiotics used to treat it.

    Unsanitary Practices

    • MRSA can easily spread when a health care worker doesn't wash her hands after coming into contact with a patient with MRSA. When the health care worker comes into contact with other patients, the infection can spread to them---especially if they suffer from a depressed immune system.

    Sharing Personal Items

    • Sports team members have developed MRSA infections after using the equipment of an infected team member; especially if individual team members don't frequently wash their equipment after it has been used. MRSA bacteria thrive in humid, sweaty environments so this makes it even more imperative to wash sports equipment often.

    Infected Wounds

    • If a person with a cut comes into contact with an infected surface or a person with staph germs on his body, her wound can become infected with the staph germ---and the wound can develop into a MRSA infection, if the germ has built an an immunity to antibiotics.

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