My mother in law has MRSA in her blood. I am pregnant. Am I safe to be around her with a gown on and gloves?

Question

She is in the hospital. She has had it before, and she is already on vancomycin.

And for the person who asked why I don't ask the Dr.s the answer is because if u knew the hospital I was dealing with u would ask on here as well. They don't like to inform us of anything. My father caught MRSA on their i.c.u floor and never came home again.

Answer 1

depends if it is air born or blood-in gloves and masks are fine.. Air-born is VERY VERY VERY dangerious for you. Blood -In means that you need to use anything she does not eat with . when she goes to the potty, use nedd to lysol the seat before you go. just becareful and below i will post pointers to help you out.....

What is MRSA?

MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It is a type of bacterium commonly found on the skin and/or in the noses of healthy people. Although it is usually harmless at these sites, it may occasionally get into the body (eg through breaks in the skin such as abrasions, cuts, wounds, surgical incisions or indwelling catheters) and cause infections. These infections may be mild (eg pimples or boils) or serious (eg infection of the bloodstream, bones or joints).

The treatment of infections due to Staphylococcus aureus was revolutionised in the 1940s by the introduction of the antibiotic penicillin.

Unfortunately, most strains of Staphylococcus aureus are now resistant to penicillin. This is because Staphylococcus aureus has 'learnt' to make a substance called ß-lactamase (pronounced beta-lactamase), that degrades penicillin, destroying its antibacterial activity.

Some related antibiotics, such as methicillin and flucloxacillin, are not affected by ß-lactamase and can still be used to treat many infections due to ß-lactamase-producing strains of Staphylococcus aureus. Unfortunately, however, certain strains of Staphylococcus aureus, known as MRSA, have now also become resistant to treatment with methicillin and flucloxacillin.

Although other types of antibiotics can still be used to treat infections caused by MRSA, these alternative drugs are usually not available in tablet form and must be administered through a drip inserted into a vein.

Who gets infection with MRSA?

MRSA infections most often occur in patients in hospitals and are rarely seen among the general public. As with ordinary strains of Staphylococcus aureus, some patients harbour MRSA on their skin or nose without harm (such patients are said to be 'colonised'), whereas other patients may develop infections.

Some patients are at increased risk of developing infection. They include those with breaks in their skin due to wounds (including those caused by surgery), indwelling catheters or burns, and those with certain types of deficiency in their immune system, such as low numbers of white cells in their blood.

When MRSA spread from an initial site of colonisation to a site where they cause infection in the same patient (eg spread from the colonised nose to a wound), the resulting infection is described as 'endogenous'.

In addition to causing endogenous infections, MRSA can spread between patients, usually by direct or indirect physical contact. For example, hospital staff attending to a colonised or infected patient may become contaminated or colonised with MRSA themselves (perhaps only briefly). They may then spread the bacteria to other patients with whom they subsequently have contact. These patients may in turn become colonised and/or infected. The spread of MRSA (or for that matter other bacteria) between patients is called cross-infection.

Some strains of MRSA that are particularly successful at spreading between patients may also spread between hospitals, presumably when colonised patients or staff move from one hospital to another. These strains are known as epidemic MRSA (or EMRSA for short).

Can the spread of MRSA be controlled?

There are several steps that may be undertaken to minimise the spread of MRSA between patients.


Hospital staff should wash their hands scrupulously, preferably using antibacterial soap and disposable towels.


Patients colonised or infected with MRSA may be kept away from other patients by being placed in separate rooms, either alone or with other patients who also have MRSA. Access to such rooms should be restricted to essential personnel.


Hospital staff should wear gloves and disposable gowns prior to having physical contact with MRSA patients. Before leaving the room, they should discard these safely, and wash their hands.


Visitors and carers likely to have a lot of physical contact with patients should also wear disposable gloves and gowns. All visitors should wash their hands before leaving the room.


MRSA can survive on inanimate objects or surfaces such as linen, sinks, floors and even mops used for cleaning. For this reason, areas where MRSA patients are nursed should be thoroughly cleaned using disinfectants.

Answer 2

You are safe as long as you do not come into contact with her blood. And just to be on the safe side stay away from all body fluids.
Even though the MRSA is in her blood, the bug itself lives in the nostrils or nares. There is an antibiotic ointment put into both nostrils for 7 to 10 days as a treatment for MRSA. Talk with an infectious disease doctor

Answer 3

sometimes, there are 2 forms, respitory and contact. if the doctors and nurses have told you it is safe to be around her, in your condition, i guess it would be ok, but i wouldnt touch anything or stay too long. i work at a hospital, and exhange drugs from the pharmacy to all of these rooms. whenever i come to a room where the patient has this, i dont go in. and when i was pregnant especially i did not, just to be on the safe side. i dont think your family should mind if you opted to stay out. but if hers is in her blood, its most likely an internal infection, which you could not catch, unless upon bodily contact, and you would have probably touch fluids or blood, thats why you where the gown and gloves. your probably ok, but dont take any risks if you dont need to.

Answer 4

MRSA is an infection that can be treated by strong antibiotics. There is some anecdotal evidence of a superbug that may be harder to cure, but this is not widespread. No, she will not be contagious forever and you can return to normal *after* her doctor determines that the infection has been eradicated. Encourage her to take her antibiotics (many people decide that since it looks better, they can slack off) so that you can resume hugging, etc.

Answer 5

I don't know what to say. I would stay clear of somebody with "Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus", even if I am not pregnant. I am not sure how close you are to the mother in-law, but in your situation definitely avoid any physical contact and keep visits to a minimum. how about you call her instead and let her know how you are>....

Answer 6

you are safe to be around her and you dont need gloves or a gown if you are just visiting her......if you are doing hands on care in taking care of her where you may come in contact with blood or urine(urine in may contain blood in trace amounts) then yes you need a gown and gloves....if she has it in her sputum then you will need a mask just to visit her but if the visits dont cause you to come in contact with her blood or urine then you should be fine....but i dont blame you if you feel the need for extra precautions

Answer 7

If you dont feel safe call her and explain it to her i am sure she will undestand also ask the doc of the potential risk factors and how common they are.

Answer 8

I would not get near her period. Send your love with a card, stay away.

Not trying to be cynical, but baby comes first, Good Luck!

Answer 9

no offense, but if she is in the hospital, why dont you ask a doctor instead of us, a bunch of amateurs?

Answer 10

If she has no cough and you do not handle urine or stools, I think you are fine.