2006-08-14 20:02:51 · 9 answers · asked by angela s 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Infectious Diseases
it is a pretty common illness now days-but mostly in a hospital setting. you can either have the bacterial mrsa or the colonized mrsa. mrsa stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Staphylococcus aureus (SA) is a type of bacteria. About 1 in 3 of us carries it on the surface of our skin or in our nose without developing an infection - this is known as being ‘colonised’ by the bacteria. However, if SA bacteria get into the body through a break in the skin they can cause infections such as boils, abscesses, or impetigo. If they get into the bloodstream they can cause more serious infections.
Most SA infections can be treated with antibiotics such as methicillin (a type of penicillin). However, SA is becoming increasingly resistant to most commonly used antibiotics. MRSA bacteria are those types of SA bacteria that are resistant to methicillin (and usually to some of the other antibiotics that are normally used to treat SA infections).
people usually contract bacterial if they've been in the hospital for a long time or will get it if they've had surgery-when the surgery is done (although in a very sterile setting), the germs that cause mrsa can still be present and the patient catches it.
these patients are put in a private hospital room and given strong i.v antibiotics to treat it-usually vancomycin since it's not part of the penicillin family that mrsa is resistant to. people coming into the patients room will have to wear protective gowns and gloves to help prevent the spread of mrsa.
the colonized mrsa is treated with special antibiotic cream that is applied to the skin.
mrsa is spread by hand contact-so always washing your hands is key to stopping the spread of infection.
2006-08-14 20:10:37 · answer #1 · answered by prncessang228 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is fairly common in the hospital setting. I did just read a report saying that there are more community based cases than ever before. Most likely this is caused by people picking it up in hospital or at a nursing home and bringing it home with them.
It has been my experience that many staff at hospitals/nursing homes do not take MRSA seriously. They feel that it's harmless or it won't affect them, etc. I even had a supervisor at work tell me that because there has never been a documented case of a paramedic having MRSA (bullsh** by the way) that we don't need to follow protocall and use isolation precautions. This (IMHO) would be why it gets out into the community.
2006-08-15 19:56:33 · answer #2 · answered by nymphetamine1978 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure about the statistics but you need to make sure to get the location on your body that has it covered and away from other areas on you. Especially if you have a cut somewhere else. MRSA could spread easily and is highly contagious.
From what I've been told MRSA is resistant to many popular drugs which is why it's so hard to treat. A lot of the reason behind that is because of the overuse of drugs when they're not needed. Germs grow resistant to the common drugs and it makes it that much harder to fight infections because there are newer strains to fight.
Definitely wash your hands often because germs travel. Hope you get better soon.
2006-08-15 03:11:48 · answer #3 · answered by AB 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
MRSA is a mutated form of normal body flora. It stands for Methacillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aurius (spelling not the best), anyways everyone has Staph on their skin and usually it is a good thing. It is only bad when it becomes resistant to antibiotics. The way it becomes resistant is from the over use of antibiotics or when an antibiotic is not finished and an infection becomes resistant to it. You can learn more about MRSA on the CDC website.
2006-08-16 16:50:37 · answer #4 · answered by devilishgrl14 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think a lot of people have and it and don't know they have it. I also think people who work at hospitals have it. So wash your hands all the time...esp. if you have little ones.
I had a friend whos daughter had MRSA, and she got it from her mother (my friend). Her daughter was always getting sick and had boils on her back and neck. She almost lost her because of it. Now she's doing okay. I think it comes and goes. And my friend was a dental assistant. She might got it from a patient and didn't know.
2006-08-15 03:12:59 · answer #5 · answered by mrs.djames 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is becoming more common in the hospital. That is scary. We usually have 3-5 patients in my unit every week. 14 years ago, I don't recall seeing any cases.
2006-08-15 03:06:49 · answer #6 · answered by Art The Wise 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not a lot of people do and the aim is to keep this number small!
2006-08-15 08:12:31 · answer #7 · answered by Buzz s 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think so. Last month, I had two patients catch it in a leg wound.
2006-08-15 03:10:06 · answer #8 · answered by Earth Queen 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
what is MRSA?
2006-08-15 03:05:53 · answer #9 · answered by oceanlady580 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋