MRSA

MRSA- Research Paper

Table of Contents

Introduction2

Thesis Statement:2

Discussion and Analysis3

Risk factors of MRSA:5

Treatment of MRSA infection:5

Conclusion7

References8

MRSA- Research Paper

Introduction

A bacterium strain of Staphylococcus which has become resistant to normal antibiotics; in the media often referred to as 'staph' or 'the superbug', and used with reference to any antibiotic-resistant strain of the bacterium. The organism is commonly found on the skin or in the nose of many individuals without causing problems, but if it enters the body, for example under the skin or into the lungs, it can cause infection (Sheen, 2009). MRSA can develop in a person who has been on long-term antibiotic treatment using penicillin-type drugs, as the bacterium develops resistance to the antibiotic in an attempt to survive. The infection can also be acquired through direct contact with infected persons, though healthy people are not usually affected. Strains of this bacterium arose from acquisition of a novel ß-lactam-resistant penicillin-binding protein gene on a large DNA fragment of unknown source. It has since been transferred to S. epidermidis (MRSE) and other coagulase-negative staphylococci. MRSA is a major global problem, often harboring multiple resistance genes. The spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in North America and Europe has increased morbidity and mortality among patients admitted to hospitals as well as the costs of hospital stays over the past 30 years. The admittance of MRSA-colonized patients to hospitals represents a major challenge to healthcare providers charged with ensuring the safety of patient care in hospitals (Tiemersma, et.al., 2004).

Thesis Statement:

The birth of MRSA has been the wake-up call to all those who work in health.

Discussion and Analysis

MRSA was rare before the 1980s, but is now found in many hospitals, where the bacterium readily spreads via health Century are staff, if hygiene is lax, attacking patients already weakened by disease, and illnesses and deaths due to MRSA have risen sharply. It can be treated with higher doses of an antibiotic or with a different combination of drugs, but new strains of increasingly resistant bacteria are developing (such as VRSA, vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus aureus), and there is concern over the undisciplined use of antibiotics in the community at large (Schmitz, 2003). The spread of infection can be prevented and controlled by following basic hygiene procedures - crucially, thorough hand washing after patient contact and maintaining a clean environment. Other measures are routine screening to identify those carrying the bacterium and carefully controlling which antibiotics are used (Wernitz, et.al. 2005).

At the same time, MRSA increasingly emerges as a major concern in domestic animals, including dogs, cats, horses, pigs, and chickens. Several authors argue that the surge in community-acquired MRSA, at a time when infections in animals are increasingly reported, is not merely coincidental. Surveys conducted in several countries reveal that pig farmers are colonized with MRSA at higher rates than individuals without occupational exposure to animals, and their families are also at risk. For example, MRSA was isolated from farmers' family members who lacked direct contact with farm animals, indicating the possibility of direct human-to-human transmission of zoonotically acquired ...