MRSA, Mersa, Staph, Staff Infection, Treatment & Symptoms

2000% increase in Prison MRSA

MRSA Cases in California Skyrocket.

Cases of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections (MRSA) increased four-fold in California hospitals between 1999 and 2007 to 52,000 cases, according to a new state report, which also suggests the annual number of MRSA deaths are 3.2 times more than estimates for seasonal influenza. The report was issued by the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development using hospital patient discharge data. The largest increase in MRSA cases came in young to mid-range adult aged patients, who were admitted from home with infections of the skin. The report said that by patient group, the biggest increase in resistant strains of the bacteria over that eight-year period was attributed to patients admitted to hospitals from prisons or jails, which saw a greater than 2000% increase. Also contributing to the rise was a 540% increase in newborns with resistant strains and a 120% increase in MRSA admissions from long-term care facilities.

Case against MRSA Jail dismissed

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A lawsuit filed against Livingston County and Sheriff Bob Bezotte has been dismissed. Mark Bowers filed suit in U.S. District Court alleging jail administrators failed to provide medical care when he contracted the MRSA bacteria while incarcerated in the Livingston County Jail from mid-2007 to early 2008. However, on Friday U.S. District Court Judge Bernard Friedman granted a motion by the county to dismiss the lawsuit, saying Bowers had failed to prove the MRSA bacteria posed a substantial risk of serious harm to their health. In his decision, Friedman said that from 2004 to 2008, there were 37 known cases of MRSA in the jail, a rate he found did not demonstrate an “…intolerable' risk to inmates' health." He also ruled that Bezotte had taken reasonable steps to avert unnecessary harm, and thus wasn’t liable. Because the sheriff was dismissed, the court ruled that the county also had to be dismissed. (JK)

Detection of Staphylococcus aureus Including MRSA on Environmental Surfaces in a Jail Setting

Detection of Staphylococcus aureus Including MRSA on Environmental Surfaces in a Jail Setting -- Felkner et al. 15 (4): 310 -- Journal of Correctional Health Care.

e examined jail environmental surfaces to explore whether they might serve as reservoirs of viable methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). We swabbed 132 surfaces, inoculated primary and secondary mannitol salts and oxacillin-resistant screening agar, and used API tests to identify S. aureus and E-tests to determine methicillin/oxacillin resistance. We recovered S. aureus from 10 (7.6%) surfaces; eight (6.1%) isolates were MRSA. We ran pulsed-field gel electrophoresis on six resistant isolates and observed three patterns, one of which was identical to that identified in a previous study of inmates’ nasal specimens. Finding MRSA-contaminated surfaces on a variety of environmental surfaces in the absence of an overt outbreak emphasizes that correctional facilities should have protocols for environmental cleaning as a component of MRSA prevention.

MRSA Prevention and Control in County Correctional Facilities

MRSA Prevention and Control in County Correctional Facilities in Southwestern Ohio -- Webb and Czachor 15 (4): 268 -- Journal of Correctional Health Care.

The study results summarize the prevention and control preparedness activities of county jails in the Greater Dayton area of Ohio. Protocols and control measures were in place for environmental control (95.4%), MRSA screening (88.4%), standard precautions (84.3%), treatment (83.6%), personal hygiene (80.6%), and education (80.4%). Statistical analysis found no significant difference between rural and urban county jails in their handling of MRSA issues. The findings suggest significant compliance with MRSA prevention and control protocols among county jails in the Greater Dayton area.

Mother questions son's MRSA related death

Mother questions son's death.

An Albuquerque woman is upset after her son died after being released from jail, saying he didn't receive the antibiotics he needed for a MRSA infection. A bag of her son's belongings was all that Cecilia Tkach was given after she found out her son died on Christmas day whiled staying at La Posada, a halfway house in Albuquerque. She said that he shouldn't have died the way he did, and she's still looking for answers. For days Cecelia Tkach has been trying to find her son after she found out he passed way.

MRSA in Jails Analysed

Link: Endemic Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Skin and Soft Tissue Infections in a Large Urban Jail: Risk Factors and Recurrence Rates -- David et al., 10.1128/JCM.01423-08 -- Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

In the 1990s community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) strains emerged as pathogens outside of the health care environment. Epidemic foci of CA-MRSA infections were reported in jails and prisons, but risk factors for MRSA infection there are not known. All skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) cultured in the Cook County Jail in March 2004 - August 2005 were reviewed. Demographic and clinical risk factors were compared among patients with methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) and those with MRSA SSTIs. Antibiotic susceptibilities were recorded, and we performed MLST typing on a sample of MRSA isolates. There were 378 SSTIs in different patients requiring culture, of which 240 (63.5%) were MRSA and 43 (11.4%) were MSSA; 84.8% of S. aureus isolates were MRSA. MRSA and MSSA patients were similar with regard to age, gender, ethnicity, previous exposure to the jail, and comorbid conditions. In the 12 months prior to the index culture MRSA patients were more likely to have received a {beta}-lactam antibiotic (25% vs. 9%, p = 0.02). Among 26 MRSA strains, 24 (92%) had the ST8 genotype. Within 6 months, 14% (95% CI, 8.7-22.3) of MRSA SSTI patients in the jail had a recurrent SSTI compared with 8.8% (95% CI 2.1-32.6) of MSSA SSTI patients (p = 0.004). MRSA is the predominant cause of SSTIs requiring culture in the Jail. Few risk factors differentiated MRSA from MSSA SSTIs and detainee-patients with MRSA SSTIs are at high risk for recurrent SSTIs.

Jail offers Flesh eating victim slack care?

Link: Ex-Riverside County jail inmate claims flesh-eating bacteria got slack care | Riverside County | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California.

A former Riverside County inmate says he was left permanently disfigured and disabled by jail medical employees who he claims delayed treating him as flesh-eating bacteria infected his right arm at the Indio jail in 2004. Glen M. Smith is one of several people nationwide whose cases of necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating bacteria, mutated from the unrelated, severe staph infection widely known as MRSA. Infectious disease researchers started seeing such cases around 2003. No one knows why some cases progress into flesh-eating bacteria. And no one at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention knows how many community-acquired MRSA cases -- those that occur outside hospitals and nursing homes -- develop into flesh-eating bacteria because the federal agency doesn't require state health care officials to report MRSA cases.

Lawsuit: Life-threatening conditions at Lake County Jail

Link: Lawsuit: Life-threatening conditions at Lake County Jail -- -- chicagotribune.com.

HAMMOND, Ind. - Four men filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday alleging conditions at the Lake County Jail are so dangerous they are life-threatening, including presence of the drug-resistant staph known as MRSA. The lawsuit, which seeks to gain class-action status, seeks unspecified damages from Sheriff Roy Dominguez, two people who served as warden of the jail since May 2006 and other unidentified jail supervisors. It was filed in U.S. District Court in Hammond. The Associated Press left a message seeking comment on the lawsuit from Dominguez on Tuesday at his office. The lawsuit contends that the plaintiffs were the moving force behind the alleged violations, condoning the unconstitutional conditions. It alleges that people are held for weeks in crowded holding cells in which they are forced to sleep on concrete floors. It also claims that people in the holding cell are not provided showers, soap or change of clothes and that toilet paper is often not available.

Second Prison Guard Found With MRSA

Link: The Herald-Mail.

Prison officials are treating a possible health situation as though a second Maryland Correctional Institution staff member has MRSA, or methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, infection. advertisement An officer at MCI south of Hagerstown was hospitalized the first week of April with a confirmed MRSA infection. Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services spokesman Rick Binetti said Tuesday he could not confirm that a second staff member was diagnosed with MRSA. Prison officials are treating the situation as though a staff member was diagnosed, and have been re-educating the staff about MRSA, he said.

Inmates exposed to 'superbug,' lawsuits say

Link: Inmates exposed to 'superbug,' lawsuits say | courier-journal | The Courier-Journal.

Lonnie Napier says he was infected with the flesh-eating bacteria at the Laurel County Detention Center, and that his wound grew so gangrenous that a portion of his scrotum had to be removed. Advertisement Martel Chapman said she was infected in the Hardin County jail after being forced to share a cell with women who had draining sores and boils. Scott Wooler said he caught it in the Hickman County Detention Center when he helped another inmate change his leaking bandages. All three claim in lawsuits that they were infected with the painful, disfiguring and potentially fatal penicillin-resistant staph infection known as MRSA -- or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus -- while incarcerated.

Jail isolates inmates with staph infection

Link: Jail isolates inmates with staph infection.

Two inmates at the Somerset County Jail are in isolation with what may be a Methicillin-resistant bacterial infection. MRSA infections are caused by strains of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (or staph) that are highly resistant to common antibiotics. Such infections can be life-threatening, although in most cases they are treatable. The two inmates were diagnosed with what appears to be a bacterial infection late Friday and after being treated at a local hospital are now back at the jail, according to Captain Stephen Giggey, jail administrator. While they are being isolated as if they have an MRSA infection, that diagnosis could not be confirmed Tuesday. Staphylococcus bacteria is very common, with about 25 to 30 percent of people carrying it on their skin or in their noses without suffering any ill effects. MRSA is much less common, with about 1 percent of people carrying it. Healthy people can carry the bacteria without any ill effects.

Prisoners, guards fear for health: Alaska

Link: Prisoners, guards fear for health: Alaska News | adn.com.

Prisoners are wiping down doorknobs with bleach. Guards are wearing plastic gloves whenever they touch anything inside a cell. And inmates are telling other inmates to go see a doctor when a rash shows up on their skin. Within the walls of Alaska prisons rumors are rampant about the dangers of a drug-resistant bacteria that can cause painful and potentially dangerous skin infections. But medical staff in the facilities say worries about the staph infection MRSA are overblown and want prisoners and guards to halt what they call misinformation. "This is a mirror image of society's response to HIV when it first came into existence," said Roger Hale, a physician's assistant at Palmer Correctional Facility for more than 20 years. "Ignorance causes a lot of confusion and fear." The state Department of Corrections says there have been no documented cases of deaths from MRSA. Cases of infections occur, but that is to be expected in a population generally weakened by illness as most prisoners are, said Dr. Henry Luban, the department's medical director. Only one prison guard reported it, and that was in 2006, said deputy director of institutions Bryan Brandenburg. The correction officers' union, though, says the infection is growing among inmates, spreading to guards, and has even killed two prisoners.

Dartmouth Jail Inmates MRSA Fear

Link: Nova Scotia News - TheChronicleHerald.ca.

A group of inmates in a Dartmouth jail are afraid they’ve been exposed to a superbug. "I’m worried about getting it," said Bill, who asked that his real name not be used. About eight months ago, an inmate in Bill’s section of the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility was diagnosed as carrying bacteria commonly called MRSA. Concerns arose Tuesday morning when that inmate was moved out of his cell and into the jail’s infirmary, Bill said. The man could be heard saying, "I’m staying there (in the infirmary) until I get rid of it this time." The man’s cellmate had been taken to the health unit Monday, Bill said. Tuesday afternoon, a spokesman for the Capital district health authority confirmed there are four inmates at the Burnside jail who have tested MRSA-positive. The latest case was diagnosed earlier Tuesday, Peter Graham said.

Correctional Officer Seriously Ill From MRSA Infection

Link: Your4State.com - Correctional Officer Seriously Ill From MRSA Infection.

NBC25 has confirmed that a correctional officer at MCI is seriously ill from the staph infection known as "MRSA".

The officer's name is not being released, but NBC25 has learned that he is being treated at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

Corrections officials say there are no other cases. They are not certain if he became infected on the job.

The state has notified the wardens at all of the Hagerstown prisons, and correctional officers have been given fact sheets about how to protect themselves from MRSA, corrections officials say.

Northpinellas: Jail cell to hospital bed

Link: Northpinellas: Jail cell to hospital bed.

Her mother, sister and boyfriend claim the jail ignored Palinchik's complaints and condition. They say she was healthy when she entered the jail and that she contracted MRSA in the facility. The Sheriff's Office is carrying out an internal investigation, which it said is standard in cases where an inmate becomes so ill. Pinellas jail officials say they deal with MRSA every day. Sometimes inmates carry the infection in; other times they can acquire it in jail. But unlike illnesses such as tuberculosis, MRSA need not be reported to county or state health departments unless there is an outbreak. Sheriff's spokeswoman Marianne Pasha said there hadn't been any outbreaks of MRSA in the jail and the cases that do exist were "individual in nature."

Inmate with MRSA may lose legs, arms

Link: Inmate with MRSA may lose legs, arms - UPI.com.

A Florida woman jailed for shoplifting may lose both arms and both legs to a MRSA staph infection that has left her in a coma. The family of Dorothy Palinchik said they were told by a doctor at Largo Medical Center her limbs must be amputated for her to have a chance at survival, the St. Petersburg Times reported Thursday. Palinchik's family said the 42-year-old waitress is suffering from MRSA and a severe case of pneumonia. The infection has done irreversible damage to her arms and legs, doctors told the family.

Whatcom County jail had 50 cases of MRSA

Link: Local News | Whatcom County jail creaking, leaking | Seattle Times Newspaper.

The current jail in Bellingham was built in 1984 with 148 beds and later remodeled to allow space for 212 beds. But with more inmates than space, Elfo said the jail often packs 300 or more inmates into the building, sometimes having inmates sleep on mattresses on the floor or cramming three people into a cell originally designed as solitary confinement. Jail chief Wendy Jones said cramming people so close together in an old building poses numerous problems for jail guards. Fights and assaults between prisoners are common, as are incidents where inmates break off pieces of the building — such as screws or the wiring behind an electrical outlet — to use as weapons. The cramped conditions also contribute to the spread of disease in the jail, Elfo said. In 2007, there were about 50 cases of MRSA, a highly contagious staph infection, as well as cases of tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases spreading between inmates.

Northampton inmates sue county over prison infections

Link: Northampton inmates sue county over prison infections -- themorningcall.com.

Nine current or former Northampton County Prison inmates have now sued the county, its outside health-care contractor and others in federal court, alleging they contracted MRSA infections because of unsanitary conditions in the Easton lockup. The two most recent lawsuits were filed last Wednesday by Doylestown attorney Jordan B. Yeager on behalf of Bradley T. Gilbert and Ediberto Jiminez. Yeager also filed the previous seven suits, dating to late August, and said this week that a total of 25-30 suits could eventually be filed. All suits so far name the county and PrimeCare Medical Inc. of Harrisburg as defendants. In addition, Corrections Director Todd Buskirk is named as a defendant. All the suits allege that numerous conditions at the prison, including water leaks and dirty shower areas, contributed to the spread of the bacterial infection formally known as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. The suits also charge that recommended MRSA prevention and treatment protocols were not followed.

Lake County sheriff acted quickly to stop MRSA outbreak

Link: Study: Lake County sheriff acted quickly to stop MRSA outbreak | WSBT South Bend - Your Local News Leader | Indiana.

Quick action by the Lake County sheriff prevented a 2006 outbreak of a drug-resistant form of staph infection from spreading from jail inmates to the general public, a Purdue University study has concluded. "The management of the outbreak was smoothly executed," wrote Purdue professor Linda Chezem in the preliminary report released Monday by Sheriff Rogelio Dominguez. Chezem, who led the review of the response to the outbreak, concluded that a 48-hour quarantine the sheriff imposed on all jail inmates and diverting new people arrested to the Porter County jail were among the moves that prevented the spread.

MRSA cases at Lane County Jail low, thanks to protocol |

Link: MRSA cases at Lane County Jail low, thanks to protocol | KVAL CBS 13 - News, Weather and Sports - Eugene, OR - Eugene, Oregon | Local & Regional News.

"Some people come to us with it already in process or once and awhile its developed here, but probably on average our people have it already before they come to jail," says Williams. They treat about two percent of the jail population that's seven to 10 cases a month. "If we have somebody who actually has an abscess that's draining and we'll put them in a single cell. They're not even in with somebody else we also have new dressings that actually stay on for 2-3 days," says Williams. They also disinfect cells when inmates leave the jail. When inmates are released form the Lane County jail medical officials say if they have been receiving treatment for MRSA on the inside they try to ensure it continues once they get here on the outside. "Probably 99% are very good about asking for antibiotics before they leave or they've gotten out and realized they forgot it so they come back," says Williams. She believes the jail is doing a good job of treating MRSA. "It gets more attention, gets treated faster and sooner," she explains.