Let's Start With The Basics

Question: What does MRSA stand for?

Answer: Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus

Although many of us may have heard of MRSA (pronounced mer-sa), we may not really know what it stands for, or what the implications are.


Question: What does Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus mean exactly?

Answer: This is a type of bacterial staph infection (Staphylococcus Aureus) that is resistant to antibiotics (Methicillin) that normally treat other staph infections .


Question: So, how do people get MRSA?

Answer: People often acquire MRSA in a hospital, or clinical settings, although some people also get it in the community. Staph are bacteria that are normally found on the human body (often in the nose), but don't cause harm unless they enter the body and cause infection- usually through a cut. This particular type of Staph bacteria causes a greater problem because it is resistant to treatment that cures other type of staph infections. MRSA is spread through contact, so can be passed on by touch, or from a surface. People with weakened immune systems are more susceptible and those in the hospital can acquire MRSA through invasive procedures, or wounds for example. People with healthy immune systems in the community may contract MRSA through close contact like with certain sports, or people who share living quarters. It is estimated that about 2% of the population carry MRSA, although many of those individuals are not infected.


Question: So what happens if I get MRSA? How will it be treated?

Answer: Although MRSA is resistant to antibiotics commonly used to treat staph, other antibiotics still work. Many of these, however, will need to be given through an IV, so the treatment would need to be completed in a healthcare facility. MRSA continues to gain resistance to more and more antibiotics, so it is important to remember to use the full course of an antibiotic. When people do not take the full course, the bacteria are more likely to acquire resistance as they may be only weakened, rather than completely killed.


Here's a great short video that explains MRSA further:

Sources:
MRSA Diagnosis and Treatment: Antibiotics, Drainage, and More. (n.d.). Retrieved April 4, 2015, from http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/understanding-mrsa-detection-treatment

MRSA infection. (n.d.). Retrieved April 4, 2015, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mrsa/basics/definition/con-20024479