What Is MRSA?
Staphylococcus aureus is a bacteria that commonly causes nosocomial infections in hospitalized patients, as well as skin infections in otherwise healthy people. The strain caught in the hospital, sometimes referred to as health care-associated MRSA, or HA-MRSA, is different than the strain caught outside the hospital in everyday situations, called community-acquired MRSA, or CA-MRSA.If untreated, HA-MRSA can spread to the heart, lungs, bones and the bloodstream, in some cases leading to shock or death, whereas CA-MRSA is usually confined to skin infections. While in previous years staph infections were successfully treated with antibiotics, such as methicillin, oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin, MRSA, has become a superbug, resistant to treatment with many different kinds of antibiotics. The Infectious Diseases Society of America, citing a CDC study from 2002, found that over 57% of hospital-acquired infections were caused by MRSA.
CA-MRSA does not come from a health care setting, but can be acquired at locations where close contact with others is common, such as the gym, schools, dorms, prisons, athletic teams, military barracks and anywhere people have extended contact with one another -- the CDC has investigated CA-MRSA skin infections among athletes, military recruits, children, Pacific Islanders, Alaskan Natives, Native Americans, men who have sex with men, and prisoners. While CA-MRSA infections tend to cause skin infections that heal without complications, recent studies show that CA-MRSA strains of staph may be easier to acquire than those found in the hospital.
How Did MRSA Come About?
Antibiotics first came out over 70 years ago in 1935 with the introduction of sulfonamides. Then, in 1941, came penicillin, which is still considered one of the most important events of the 20th century, if not in the history of mankind. With antibiotics came the possibility to treat diseases that had previously killed millions of people, like tuberculosis, plague, and syphilis. Common infections like Staphylococcus aureus that especially attacked people with wounds and weakened immune systems were successfully treated with penicillin. But in 1942, just a year after penicillin was introduced, the first cases of drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus made an appearance, and penicillin could no longer treat all cases of staph.In 1961 a new antibiotic came out that cured staph infections -- methicillin. By the late 1960s, 80% of staph infections were resistant to penicillin. And by 1974, it was reported that 2% of staph infections were resistant to methicillin, hence the name methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The community-acquired strain of MRSA was only discovered in the 1990s, raising the possibility of developing infections from a more difficult-to-treat bacteria by engaging in everyday activities like going to school or the gym.
What Are the Complications of MRSA?
Though the bulk of CA-MRSA infections are skin- and soft tissue-related, there are occasionally cases of more invasive infections such as pneumonia and blood stream infections. Typically, complications of CA-MRSA are:- skin infections: a sore or several sores with pus, which may lead to a boil, a pimple or an abscess
- an infected cut
- scaly skin
- blood stream infections
- pneumonia
- lung abscess
- bone infection (osteomyelitis)
- infection in the heart
- arthritis
- meningitis
How Is MRSA Diagnosed?
Diagnosis of MRSA is confirmed by taking a swab of the wound site, or a simple blood sample. Laboratory technicians stain the organisms with a dye to determine what kind of bacteria is present. These laboratory cultures can determine if staph is drug-resistant, and to which drugs. The results of this test will help your doctor decide which antibiotic is appropriate for treatment.How Is MRSA Treated?
If the infection is restricted to the skin, the wound will be frequently cleaned with an anti-microbial wash, like a povodine iodine solution. Hot dry compresses are used, rather than wet ones, so the infection won't spread. Even if the MRSA infection is just on the skin, antibiotics may be prescribed by your doctor. If there is an abscess, a small slit will be made in the abscess, allowing the pus to drain. If the infection has gone to deeper skin tissue, causing what is called cellulitis, antibiotics may also be required.For serious infections, penicillinase-resistant penicillin may be used, or cephalosporins that can treat staphylococci, or a macrolide. All of these are types of antibiotics. If the case is severe, a laboratory study will show which antibiotics should be used for treatment. Vancocin (vancomycin), a type of antibiotic that needs to be given intravenously, is also used for MRSA infections in cases of known or suspected resistance.
How Is MRSA Spread?
It is thought that 20-30% of the general population carry around Staphylococcus aureus in their nose without causing any infection or illness. The bacteria can also be found on the skin, especially in infected cuts and sores. What percentage of those bacteria are MRSA staph is unknown, but it can be assumed that the spread of MRSA is by the same way as other kinds of staph strains. More than one-third of people with staphylococcus infect themselves, while people with pus-containing sores spread the bacteria to others around them.