Methicillin Resistant Staph Aureus (MRSA)

Staph aureus is a common bacteria that is normally found on the skin of all persons. If this bacteria is able to get inside the skin or body, it can create an infection of varying degrees of severity. Methicillin Resistant Staph Aureus or MRSA is staph that has developed immunity or resistance to certain antibiotics including the antibiotic Methicillin and other penicillins. About 1% of the population carry MRSA on their skin and can pass it on to others who can then become MRSA carriers. Again, MRSA only creates an infection if it gets into the skin or body.

MRSA used to be found only in people who had been hospitalized for various reasons. Lately, it is being found in people who have never been in the hospital and this is called Community Associated MRSA or CA-MRSA. CA-MRSA skin infections have been identified among certain populations that share close quarters or experience more skin-to-skin contact such as athletes involved in contact sports, military recruits, and prisoners.

The symptoms of MRSA infection depend on where you've been infected. MRSA most often appears as a skin infection, like a boil or abscess. It also might infect a surgical wound. In either case, the area will look swollen, red, painful, and pus filled. Another feature to watch for is that the boil or abscess may appear to worsen rather than get better with treatment.

The good news is that MRSA is treatable. MRSA may be resistant to some antibiotics, but there are still antibiotics available that can be used successfully to treat this infection. If you have a skin boil, your doctor may open the boil and drain it as part of the treatment.

How can you avoid getting MRSA? According to the CDC, here are some of the best ways to prevent MRSA:

• Wash your hands. Use soap and water or an alcohol-base hand sanitizer. Also, wash thoroughly. Experts suggest that you wash your hands for as long as it takes you to recite the alphabet.
• Cover cuts and scrapes with a clean bandage. This will help the wound heal. It will also prevent you from spreading bacteria to other people.
• Do not touch other people's wounds or bandages.
• Do not share personal items like towels or razors. If you use any shared gym equipment, wipe it down before and after you use it. Drying clothes, sheets, and towels in a dryer -- rather than letting them air dry -- helps kill bacteria.