Understanding MRSA. (Mersa or Staph)
MRSA Watch has gathered over 4500 articles on MRSA into a unique directory - see A-Z guide in right hand column. Our written MRSA Basics guide below is a definitive guide to the infection and how to respond. You might prefer the audio introduction below
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Simple staph aureus (SA) bacteria, (mrsa is not a virus), can be found on the bodies of up to 30% of the general population. It caused many problems before the use of antibiotics made wound recovery a safer process. Hospital acquired staph is generally resistant to several antibiotics but especially Methicillin, hence the name MRSA. This is found in about 1% of the population but in some pockets of the population this figure can be much higher.
Image from Komo News
Community Acquired MRSA (CA MRSA) is a different strain of MRSA, mainly causes skin infections and is treatable by more drugs at this time. CA MRSA (sometimes known as Mersa or Mursa) is more infectious and some strains of it are more destructive - should it become resistant to more antibiotics it could pose a considerable public health risk. Many people carry or are 'colonised' by staph bacteria but only suffer when they have another illness.
The colonisation stage carries no symptoms. Many only suffer MRSA as an infection of an existing wound. In recent times however some types of CA MRSA have begun to cause significant skin infections in otherwise healthy patients. The entry point is often a tiny cut, graze or exisiting skin condition.
How do people catch MRSA?
There are several ways it is believed to spread.
- Hand carriage - this is why hospital staff are encouraged to wash their hands after each patient.
- Contaminated surfaces - this is why clean hospital wards are vital.
- Via medical instruments - this is why many now have special coatings or have silver elements. This discourages lingering residues and/or kills external infection entering the wound
- Via airborne particles - MRSA often resides in the nasal passages and can spread with colds and flu as a secondary infection that may be dormant for some while.
- Shared items - Families or other close knit groups sharing a facility such as military personnel, a sports team or prison inmates may share hygiene items such as towels etc. This is another vector for the spread of the bacteria
- Needles - Drug users sharing needles may be passing on MRSA alongside HIV or Hepatitis C. The same could be said of tattoo artists who do not have strict hygiene regimes.
- Sexual Intimacy - the nose, groin and underarms are key colonisation areas for the bacteria. Sex workers and the habitually promiscous will be super spreaders in a society in much the same way as they are for AIDS.
How is it treated?
There are 3 key treatment regimes that are commonly used.
- For those who are colonised - a nasal treatment and a skin wash. This is often the strategy when MRSA is rare or prior to an operation as a means of preventing infection. Where MRSA is common some doctors will not suggest decolonisation as many will be recolonised within months within the local community. Some deep seated - throat and intestine - colonisation may require drug treatment.
- For those who have a potential or active bloodstream infection - drugs such as Vancomycin, Linezolid or Daptomycin.
- For those with infected wounds - special honey, silver bandages, garlic preparations and tea tree oil are all believed to be effective in killing MRSA in a wound. Many who have the skin infections common with CA MRSA simply need incision and drainage of the infected area and good hygiene while it heals. Antibiotics are not always needed.
How can it be prevented
The media often focus on clean hospitals and clean hands as a key to combating MRSA. Others believe that this will
only cut cases by 30% and that a diverse strategy is vital and will include:
- Clean Wards - especially surfaces and keyboards.
- Staff Screening - are they super carriers?
- Patient Screening - so that they can be decolonised and to avoid self infection.
- Hospital Equipment - because it can take the infection deep into a wound.
- Air Hygiene - to help prevent nasal colonisation
- Hand Hygiene - to prevent transport from patient to patient via staff hands
- Antibiotic Restraint - because resistance grows from over prescription
- The Food Chain - is resistance also provoked by over use in the animals that we eat?
- Patient Isolation - this helps lessen the potential risk of airborne infection
- Lifestyle Choices - needle injected drugs and multiple sexual partners help spread chronic illnesses that emerge slowly.
What can I do
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Stay informed - this site and several others can help you do this. The A-Z guide in the right hand column will give you in depth information on over 50 aspects of MRSA from over 4000 articles, news items and academic papers.
- Ask others via our MRSA Watch forum
- Act locally by becoming involved in patient advocacy or patient/hospital forums
- Seek justice - do you need to take legal action because of neligence or do we all need to speak up for communities who are being hit by CA MRSA but are underinsured and often powerless.
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