MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a medical term for a very serious infection that is caused by bacterium. MRSA comes from a strain of bacterium named Staphylococcus aureus and the disease can be fatal in some instances. MRSA infections can bring about dangerous abscesses and the bacteria that precipitate them can stay in one area or spread to the vital organs.
Resisting Medications
Bacteria known as staph are common, with as many as one-third of the population having this type of bacteria in their noses. When staph does get into the body through a cut it can result in an infection. Staph infections usually are minor and can be treated effectively but in MRSA the staph bacteria have become able to resist the effects of medications. Drugs such as methicillin, penicillin, oxacillin and amoxicillin no longer have any power over these bacteria as the bacteria are constantly adapting to the newer antibiotics being used to combat them.
Types of MRSA
MRSA is a disease that spreads through contact with an infected individual or with something that has been touched by someone with the condition such as a doorknob or eating utensil. MRSA is seen mostly in the elderly, people with weakened immune systems and individuals in hospitals and/or nursing homes. This type of MRSA is called "health care associated MRSA." A newer form of the ailment called "community-associated MRSA" has been seen in the healthy population outside of these settings. It accounted for 14 percent of all MRSA cases in the United States in 2007 according to the Center for Disease Control.
MRSA symptoms
The symptoms associated with a MRSA infection depend on where the infection occurs. In the majority of instances the infection will look like an abscess or a boil. The area will be red and swollen with the appearance of a spider bite. It will be painful and pus will fill the region. When a MRSA infection spreads into the lungs it can result in pneumonia, with symptoms such as shortness of breath and a strong cough. MRSA is also capable of making its way into a patient's urinary tract, making urination painful and difficult.
Testing for MRSA
Drug-resistant bacteria are looked for in a patient's nasal secretions and in a tissue sample when doctors are trying to diagnose MRSA. Bacteria culture tests can take as long as two days before an answer is reached. More recent tests now can identify the DNA of staph much more quickly, making them more practical when attempting to discover a MRSA infection. Patients will frequently be tested for MRSA when transferring between hospitals or when they exhibit signs of the infection.
Treatments
Although MRSA is resistant to many types of antibiotics there are some that can still work on the infection. Drugs such as Vancocin, Bactrim, Cleocin, Cubicin, Zyvox and Synercid are employed against a MRSA infection. Intravenous dosages of these medications are often used. It is of extreme importance to continue on the course of antibiotics even when the individual begins to recover in order to kill all the bacteria. Any that can live through the treatment then have the potential to create bacteria that are resistant to the medications and can infect others. In some MRSA cases doctors will simply drain the abscess or boil.
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