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MRSA: What You Need To Know
General Information
Staphylococcus aureus, or “staph” as it is sometimes called, is a common bacterium that lives on the skin or in the nose of 25-30% of humans. It is usually harmless, but sometimes it can cause skin infections ranging from mild to severe. Less commonly, it causes more serious infections in the bloodstream or lungs.
“MRSA” stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a group of staph that was first identified in the 1960’s and that is now common in most hospitals. The organisms are resistant to many (but usually not all) antibiotics and are a cause for concern in patients who have recently had surgery or other invasive medical procedures.
A newer form of staph infection, known as CA-MRSA (for community-acquired, or community-associated Staphylococcus aureus) has appeared with increasing frequency in recent years. While hospital MRSA is almost always found in persons who have had contact with a health care setting, this is not the case for people infected with CA-MRSA. Today in the U.S., around 14% of all MRSA infections are caused by CA-MRSA. This form causes skin and soft tissue infections in otherwise healthy persons who have not been recently hospitalized or undergone invasive medical procedures.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I avoid getting an MRSA infection?
- The most important thing
you can do to protect yourself from MRSA and other infectious
diseases is to wash your hands often. When soap and water
are not available, alcohol based hand sanitizer is a good substitute.
Click here
for more information about how and when to wash your hands.
- MRSA can enter the body through small cuts and cracks in the skin’s surface, so take steps to keep your hands from getting dry and cracked.
- Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered until they are healed.
- Do not share personal items like towels and washcloths.
If someone in my family has MRSA, does that mean that I need to disinfect everything in my house? What areas in the home should I clean more carefully?
You do not need to disinfect every area in your home every day. However, targeted disinfection of surfaces that have come in contact with MRSA infections and surfaces that people frequently touch is appropriate. Here are some things to keep in mind.
- Choose a cleaning product with a label that says it is also a disinfectant, and make sure to read the label carefully before using any product. Many disinfectants need to stay in contact with the surface you are cleaning for several minutes; if you just spray the cleaner and then wipe it off with a paper towel right away, it may not work.
- Cleaning can be hard on your hands, causing your skin to become dry or cracked. Wear gloves while doing extensive cleaning, in order to protect your skin. Remember, MRSA usually enters the body through a break in the skin, so extensive cleaning could do more harm than good if you don’t take steps to protect your hands.
- Special attention should be paid to areas that have come into direct or indirect contact with an MRSA infection. For example, if you set a bandage that had been covering an infection on the bathroom counter before throwing it away, you should clean and disinfect that surface. You may also want to clean areas that people touch often, such as faucet handles and doorknobs.
I am concerned about getting MRSA at my gym or during sports practice. What can I do to prevent this?
- If you are worried about MRSA at your gym, you can use paper towels and alcohol based sanitizer to wipe down the surfaces of workout equipment before and after using it. Many gyms already provide these materials in workout areas. If yours does not, you can ask gym management staff to start supplying them.
- You may also place a towel between yourself and exercise equipment seats.
- Make sure cuts and scrapes are covered before working out or practicing a sport.
- Avoid sharing towels and other personal care items with other people.
- Take a shower after working out, especially if you are participating in a sport that involves physical contact with other people.
Can my pet get MRSA? Can I get MRSA from my pet? Should I have my dog or cat tested for MRSA?
It is possible for dogs, cats, and other animals to carry MRSA or suffer from MRSA infections. If your pet has open sores or other skin lesions, you should speak with your veterinarian. Most of the time, it is not necessary to have animals tested for MRSA if they have no symptoms. However, if MRSA keeps returning in a family after multiple rounds of treatment, it may make sense to have pets tested to see if they are carriers. Animals can be treated for MRSA just as humans can; if your cat or dog has MRSA or is carrying it, it does not mean you will have to give up your pet.
My doctor says I have a staph infection. Does that actually mean that I have MRSA?
No. “Staph” is short for Staphylococcus aureus, which is a type of bacteria that lives on the skin of 25-30% of the population at any given time. Most of the time, it doesn’t cause problems, but if it enters through a break in the skin, it can cause a “staph infection.” MRSA stands for Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It is simply one type of staph infection, and the symptoms it causes are the same as the symptoms seen in other staph infections. The difference between MRSA and other forms of staph is that MRSA has become resistant to some types of antibiotics. This can make it more difficult to treat; however there are antibiotics available that can treat most MRSA infections. To find out more about antibiotic resistance in general, click here.
I keep reading that MRSA is associated with poor hygiene. I wash my hands all the time, and keep my house clean, but I have MRSA. What am I doing wrong?
You are not doing anything wrong. Washing your hands is the best thing you can do to protect yourself from many infectious diseases, including MRSA. However, even people who clean their hands often and well sometimes still get MRSA infections. Having MRSA does NOT mean you have poor hygiene or are “dirty.”
If I have had an MRSA infection, does that mean I will always be a carrier even though the active infection is gone?
Not necessarily. Some people who have had an active infection do become carriers, but not everyone does. Also, the carrier state can be temporary, especially in people who are otherwise healthy. Many people who are found to be carriers during an initial test are no longer carrying MRSA after a few months have passed.
I will be going into the hospital for surgery soon. Is there anything I can do to reduce the risk of getting MRSA while I am there?
The best step you can take is to politely ask people who come into your room to wash their hands or clean them with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Don’t be shy about asking doctors and nurses to do this. You can also ask your doctor what steps will be taken to reduce the risk of infection, and ask if there are other things you can do yourself to reduce the risk.
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Links
Massachusetts
Department of Public Health MRSA Information
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention information sheet on Community-Associated MRSA
[English]
[Espanol]
2003 APUA Newsletter
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