Definition
MRSA infection is short for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection. The infection occurs because of a strain of staph bacteria which stays unaffected by the antibiotics usually used to treat staph infections that appear every day. Nowadays, two types of MRSA infections are known. They are the HA-MRSA infections and CA-MRSA infections. The HA-MRSA stands for health-care MRSA infections, whereas the CA-MRSA for community-associated MRSA infections. Most of the infections are HA-MRSA infections. They occur among people that have been in hospitals or some other kind of health centers and have experienced some kind of procedures including surgeries, intravenous tubing or artificial joints. The other type, the CA-MRSA infections occur in healthy people as a painful skin boil that can be spread by skin contact. People that are at greater risk to be infected with it are: people living in crowded conditions, high school students and child care workers.
Symptoms
MRSA skin infections start with small red bumps that resemble spider bites, pimples or boils. Sometimes the bacteria doesn’t go deeper under the skin, but sometimes it can also set deep in the body causing deep and painful blisters that will have to be surgically drained. This stage of the condition can lead to dangerous infections of the joints, bones or infections in the blood stream, heart or lungs.
MRSA infections should be treated by a doctor, so pay attention to minor skin problems and watch out if the get infected. MRSA infections can quickly worsen or be spread to others. When a person notices blisters or boils that are worrisome or painful it is recommendable to visit a doctor.
Causes
Several different types of staph (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria exist. They can be found in the nose or on the skin. The bacteria are harmless until they enter the body through a cut or a wound. Healthy people that are affected by them experience only minor skin problems.
MRSA occurs as a result of long unnecessary antibiotic use. A person can use different kind of antibiotics for years. Antibiotics are commonly used for cold, flu or viral infections. The use of the antibiotics contributes the resistance of the bacteria to the drugs to grow, because not every germ that is targeted with the treatment is destroyed, and even germs that survive the treatment can soon become resistant to other kind of antibiotic.
Risk factors
The risk factors for MRSA infections will differ according the two types:
- The risk of having HA-MRSA is bigger for:
-older people or people with weak immune system that are hospitalized
-people having an invasive medical tubing such as intravenous lines or urinary catheters
-people residing in nursing homes
- The risk of having CA-MRSA is greater for:
-people who live in crowded and unsanitary conditions such as military training camps, child care centers or jails
-people who participate in contact sports
-homosexual men
Complications
As MRSA infection can be resistant to many antibiotics, they are hardly treated, thus the infections can spread through the body and result in life-threatening conditions. The infections can affect the bloodstream, the bones and jints, the heart or the lungs.
Treatment
Both types of MRSA infections aren’t still resistant to all the antibiotics. There are certain antibiotics to which they still respond. Sometimes, antibiotics aren’t necessary at all. For instance, the doctors can drain the blister on the skin that the MRSA infection has caused before they try to treat it with drugs.
Prevention
How to prevent the HA-MRSA type:
- people being infected should be hospitalized in isolated room as a precaution
- the health care staff and visitors should wear protective garments and follow strict hygiene rules
- surfaces or clothes that are contaminated should be well disinfected
How to prevent CA-MRSA type of infections:
- wash the hands regularly and carefully for at least 15 seconds and dry them twice with two different towels
- carry a hand sanitizer
- do not share personal items
- shower immediately after practices or games
- wash gym clothes after each practice
- sanitize towels and linens especially if there is a cut or wound on the body
