MRSA - Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus
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In this segment, Dr. Edward Martin discusses MRSA - methicillin resistant staph aureus infections, with his sister Dr. Kathryn Martin, and his brother Dr. John Martin.
MRSA - methicillin resistant staph aureus, is a bacteria which has been of great concern in the last few years. It is especially important in hospital settings where it is responsible for a large number of deaths. It is usually seen in seriously ill patients, and can cause infections in post-op wounds, bed sores, catheters, and can cause pneumonia.
Staph aureus infections have been recognized for many years, but antibiotic use has now resulted in strains of staph which are resistant to most of the usual antibiotics and are therefore extremely hard to treat.
In the community, MRSA infections are usually less severe than in the hospital. One of the most common infections seen is a skin abscess or boil. It can also be seen in surgical wounds, or lacerations to the skin. These can be difficult to treat due to antibiotic resistance, and can occasionally result in death.
Many hospitals now require that all patients admitted have a nasal swab done to check for the presence of MRSA, as many people are asymptomatic carriers. If they are a carrier, they should be treated with intranasal antibiotic ointments. They should also be kept away from other patients to help decrease the transmission of the bacteria to other sick patients. Of the hospitalized patients who get one of the more severe MRSA infections, such as pneumonia, IV antibiotics will be necessary, and still about 5% will die.
To help prevent the spread of MRSA, frequent handwashing is recommended either with an antibacterial soap or alcohol gel.