Who is affected by mrsa

Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Section Navigation.

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. General Information. Minus Related Pages. On This Page. What is MRSA? In Healthcare Settings In places such as a hospital or nursing home, MRSA can cause severe problems such as bloodstream infections , pneumonia , or surgical site infections.

Who is at risk? How is MRSA spread in the community? How common is MRSA? Clean hands often, and clean your body regularly, especially after exercise. Keep cuts, scrapes, and wounds clean and covered until healed. MRSA say: MUR-suh is different from other staph bacteria because it has become resistant to most of the antibiotics doctors use to treat staph infections.

Methicillin is a type of antibiotic, so these bacteria are called "methicillin-resistant. MRSA skin infections often develop around open sores, like cuts, scrapes, or bites. But they also can affect intact skin. Red, swollen, painful bumps appear that sometimes ooze fluid or pus called an abscess.

Some people also get a fever. In the past, MRSA mostly affected people in nursing homes or hospitals. It was more likely to be seen in people with weak immune systems.

It was also more common in people who had a surgical wound. Staph skin infections, including MRSA, appear as a bump or sore area of the skin that can resemble an insect bite. The infected area might be :. Symptoms of a serious MRSA infection in the blood or deep tissues may include :. The following guidelines can help patients, healthcare workers, and visitors prevent MRSA infections from spreading in the hospital:.

It may be necessary for a patient with an MRSA infection to stay in their room until treatment is complete. People can reduce the risk of community-associated MRSA outside of hospitals by:. Experts are concerned about MRSA and other bacteria that have developed resistance to certain antibiotics.

However, a growing awareness of hygiene procedures appears to have helped reduce the number of cases. They note that this decrease is probably due to improved guidelines relating to hygiene and contact.

A survey of countries conducted by the World Health Organization finds that only 34 countries have compiled a national action plan to combat…. The world is now on the verge of a 'post-antibiotic era. Resistance to antibiotics kills more than 20, people in the U. But how do bugs become resistant to drugs that once worked so well? Researchers find that compounds from a species of onion can kill the tuberculosis bacterium.

Could this be the key to combatting drug resistance? A 10th century potion from a manuscript of one of the earliest known medical textbooks has proved effective against the superbug MRSA, according to UK…. For example, health care workers can help prevent HA-MRSA by washing their hands with soap and water or using hand sanitizer before and after each clinical appointment. Hospital rooms, surfaces and equipment, as well as laundry items, need to be properly disinfected and cleaned regularly.

Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus MRSA infection is caused by a type of staph bacteria that's become resistant to many of the antibiotics used to treat ordinary staph infections.

Staph infection Open pop-up dialog box Close. Staph infection MRSA infections start out as small red bumps that can quickly turn into deep, painful abscesses. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.