MRSA

Infection Control

Infection Control

Introduction

Methicillen resistant staph aureus termed as MRSA is an infection that is resistant to antibiotics like methicillin. This staph, sometimes simply called "staph" or "S. aureus, is a common bacterium found commonly on the skin of healthy people. If staph gets into the body, it can cause infections by cons mild skin such as boils or pimples or serious infections such as pneumonia.

Methicillin can be commonly used to treat infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus MRSA can be discovered in 1961 in Great Britain. It can be found in a conventional manner by culturing in the presence of methicillin. MRSA infections are usually severe, with higher mortality. Although very effective in treating most of these infections, some strains of S.Aureus have developed resistance to methicillin and die on contact with this antibiotic, hence the expression Staphylococcus aureus resistant to methicillin or MRSA (Gosbell, 2001).

Discussion

Methicillin is a class of antibiotics including cloxacillin, which can be used routinely to treat infections with S. aureus. Some bacteria S. aureus are more destroyed by these antibiotics and can be classified as resistant to methicillin. Over the past 30 years, new strains of S. aureus have become resistant to commonly used antibiotics.

This antibiotic resulted in the Infections caused by these organisms are more difficult and expensive to treat. MRSA can cause disease, but not more frequently than other types of germs. Symptoms of Staphylococcus aureus resistant to methicillin are the same as those found during infection by another Staphylococcus aureus. The skin is red and inflamed around wound. In severe cases, the following symptoms may be present: fever, lethargy and headaches. MRSA can cause urinary tract infections, pneumonia, toxic shock syndrome and even death (Collins, 2002).

MRSA can be located in the nose or skin, as well as in blood or urine. It can be transmitted to other patients usually very ill, whose immune system can be weakened and which, therefore, cannot fight against infection. In general, MRSA can be transmitted by physical contact; it does not spread through the air, but mainly by the hands of people involved in hospital. The hands of healthcare workers may indeed be contaminated by contact with patients, work surfaces and equipment contaminated with body fluids containing MRSA.

Although MRSA is resistant to many antibiotics and the infection that causes can be difficult to treat, there are few antibiotics that can cure MRSA infection. Patients who can be only colonized ...