Mrsa infection

MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It is a type of bacteria that can cause a staph infection.

Staph bacteria normally live on your skin and in your nose, usually without causing problems. Sometimes the bacteria cause infection. Usually you can treat this infection with antibiotics.

But MRSA infections are harder to treat than other staph infections. This is because antibiotics may not be able to kill MRSA. For some people, especially those who are weak or ill, MRSA infections can become serious.

MRSA can spread from person to person. It is commonly spread from the hands of someone who has MRSA. This could be anyone in a health care setting or in the community.

MRSA is more likely to develop when antibiotics are used too often or aren't used the right way. Over time, bacteria can change so that these antibiotics no longer work well.

Symptoms of a MRSA infection depend on where the infection is:

• If the infection is in a wound, that area of your skin may be red or tender.
• If the infection is in the skin, you may have boils or abscesses. It may look like you have been bitten by a spider or insect.

If your doctor thinks that you are infected with MRSA, he or she will send a sample of your infected wound, blood, or urine to a lab. The lab will grow the bacteria and then test to see which kinds of antibiotics kill the bacteria. This test may take several days.

You may also be tested if your doctor suspects that you are a MRSA carrier. A MRSA carrier is a person who has the bacteria living on the skin and in the nose but who is not sick. The test is done by taking a swab from the inside of the nose.

Your doctor may:

• Drain your wound.
• Give you antibiotics as pills or through a needle put in your vein (I.V.).
• Give you an ointment to put on your skin or inside your nose.
• Have you wash your skin daily with an antiseptic soap.

You may have to stay in the hospital for treatment. In the hospital, you may be kept apart from others to reduce the chances of spreading the bacteria.

• If the doctor prescribes antibiotics, give them to your child as directed. Do not stop using them just because your child feels better. Your child needs to take the full course of antibiotics.
• Cover all cuts and wounds with bandages until they heal.
• Wash your hands often, especially after you touch bandages. Have your child do this too. This can keep the bacteria from spreading. Wrap bandages in a plastic bag before you throw them away.
• Teach your child not to share towels, washcloths, clothes, or anything that touched your child's wound or bandage. Wash your child's sheets, towels, and clothes with warm water and detergent. Dry them in a hot dryer, if possible.
• Keep shared areas clean. Use a disinfectant to wipe surfaces that other people touch. These include countertops, doorknobs, and light switches.