MRSA   

MRSA stands for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus.  It causes an infection that is resistant to several common antibiotics.  There are two types of infection.  Hospital-associated MRSA happens to people in healthcare settings.  Community-associated MRSA happens to people who have close skin-to-skin contact with others, such as athletes involved in football and wrestling.

Community-Acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) is a different strain of MRSA that is easier to treat, infects younger populations, and most often causes nothing more than boils and soft tissue infections.  HOWEVER, if left untreated, it can cause very serious disease due to a specific toxin that it can produce.  CA-MRSA primarily causes infections in athletes, military personnel, children in daycare, and IV drug users.  The reason these groups are susceptible to staph infection is that they often have close skin-to-skin contact, tend to acquire cuts and abrasions, often share contaminated items, often are in crowded conditions, and may have poor hygiene.  There is also an increase risk in persons who have chronic skin conditions such as eczema.  Although the media termed CA-MRSA as "super-bugs", they actually are generally treatable with a simple medical procedure or with other antibiotics that are not traditionally used to treat staph infections.  Therefore, the most important issue is that they are diagnosed early and accurately.

Staphylococcus aureaus are bacteria commonly carried on the skin or in the nose of healthy people.  Approximately 25% to 30% of the population carries the bacteria in the nose, without being infected.  Staph can cause infection when they enter the skin through a cut or sore.  The infection can be minor and local (for example, a pimple), or more serious.  Bottom line, anyone can get a Staph infection.  People are more likely to get a Staph infection if they have:

• Skin-to-skin contact with someone who has a Staph infection
• Contact with items and surfaces that have Staph on them
• Openings in their skin such as cuts or scrapes
• Crowded living conditions
• Poor hygiene

• A skin abscess
• Drainage of pus or other fluids from the site
• Fever
• Warmth around the infected area

Symptoms of a more serious staph infection may include:

• Rash
• Shortness of breath
• Fever
• Chills
• Chest pain
• Fatigue
• Muscle aches
• Malaise (general feeling of illness)
• Headache

Draining the abscess at the doctor's office is usually the only treatment needed for a local skin MRSA infection.  You may also be given an antibiotic that is specific to the strain of staph you have.  Laboratory test will need to be done to identify the correct antibiotic.

It is important to finish ALL doses of antibiotics you have been given, even if you feel better before the final dose.  Unfinished doses can lead to development of drug resistance in the bacteria.

When to seek medical advice:  Keep an eye on minor skin problems-pimples, insect bites, cuts and scrapes.  If wounds become infected, see a physician.  Ask to have any skin infection tested for MRSA before starting antibiotic therapy.  Drugs that treat ordinary staph aren't effective against MRSA, and their use could lead to serious illness and more resistant bacteria.

If you have any questions regarding MRSA, please contact Student Health Services at (573) 681-5476.