Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium that has developed antibiotic resistance, first to penicillin in 1947, and later to methicillin. Popularly termed a "superbug", it was first discovered in Britain in 1961 and is now widespread. While an MRSA colonisation in an otherwise healthy individual is not usually a serious matter, infection with the organism can be life-threatening to patients with deep wounds, intravenous catheters or other foreign-body instrumentation; or as a secondary infection in patients with compromised immune systems.

Because cystic fibrosis patients are often treated with multiple antibiotics in hospital settings, they are often colonized with MRSA, potentially increasing the rate of life-threatening MRSA pneumonias among them. The risk of cross-colonization has led to increased use of isolation protocols among these patients.

In the USA there are increasing reports of outbreaks of MRSA colonisation through skin contact in locker rooms and gymnasiums, even among healthy populations, and MRSA causes as many as 20% of Staph aureus infections in populations that use intravenous drugs.

A last-resort antibiotic, Vancomycin, is used to kill MRSA but several new strains of the bacterium (since the first report in 1997) has been found showing resistance to Vancomycin; those new evolutions of the MRSA bateria are dubbed Vancomycin Intermediate-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VISA).

From the US CDC's MRSA Fact Sheet:

"How are staph and MRSA spread? - Staph bacteria and MRSA can spread among people having close contact with infected people. MRSA is almost always spread by direct physical contact, and not through the air. Spread may also occur through indirect contact by touching objects (i.e., towels, sheets, wound dressings, clothes, workout areas, sports equipment) contaminated by the infected skin of a person with MRSA or staph bacteria."

and

"Are staph and MRSA infections treatable? - Yes. Most staph bacteria and MRSA are susceptible to several antibiotics. Furthermore, most staph skin infections can be treated without antibiotics by draining the sore. However, if antibiotics are prescribed, patients should complete the full course and call their doctors if the infection does not get better. Patients who are only colonized with staph bacteria or MRSA usually do not need treatment." [emphasis added]

--http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/hip/ARESIST/mrsafaq.htm

Initiatives

At the end of August 2004, after a successful pilot scheme to tackle MRSA, the British National Health Service announced its Clean Your Hands campaign. Wards will be required to ensure that alcohol-based hand rubs are placed near to all beds so that staff can hand wash more regularly. It is thought that if this cuts infection by just 1% the scheme will pay for itself many times over. [1] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3614058.stm)

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Initiatives

See also