Facts about MRSA

MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a potenetially dangerous staph bacteria that causes skin and other infections.


MRSA is resistant to many antibiotics. Only certain antibiotics can be used to fight the infection.


MRSA is wide spread and anyone can get it by directly touching another person's infection; by using items such as razors, towels, soap, and bandages that bave been exposed to the infection; or by touching surfaces that have been contaminated with MRSA such as athletic equipment and benches.


MRSA is likely to spread in areas that are crowded and people have close peron-to-person contact such as in schools, locker rooms, gyms, day care centers, correctional facilities and in the military.


MRSA has also been found on public beaches. Because Staph is a salt loving organism, marine water and sand appear to harbor the bug.


MRSA has to enter the body through scrapes or cuts. It can also enter through small openings such as hair follicles.


MRSA is the most common skin and soft tissue infection treated in Emergency Departments.




Signs and Symptoms:

Many people mistaken a MRSA skin infection with a spider bite. It appears as a bump that is red, swollen, painful, full of pus, warm to the touch and may be accompanied by a fever. These infections can occur anywhere on the body.



It is very important to see a health care professonal as soon as possible if you experience these signs or symptoms. MRSA can progress to a serious and possibly life threatening infection.



Covering the infection helps prevent its spread.

Treatment of MRSA:

MRSA is a serious infection and should always be treated by a health care professional who may drain the infection and prescribe the appropriate antibiotic. Always complete the full doses of the antibiotic unless your health care professional tells you to stop.


It is very important that you do not attempt to drain the infection on your own. This may worsen and spread it to other parts of your body or to other people.





Prevention of MRSA:

Practice good hand washing techniques frequently. Use soap and water for at least 15 seconds when washing hands and always use soap and water when hands are visibly soiled. An alcohol-based hand sanitizer (at least 60% solution) may be used often for routine decontamination and may be less irritating to your skin.

Avoid sharing personal items such as towels, razors and clothing. Contaminated clothes should be washed in the warmest water possible with laundry detergent then completely dried in automated clothes dryer.

Clean your environment frequently especially items and places that are often touched such as counters, computers, and exercise equipment.

Cover any scrape or cut completely until healed. Avoid picking or scratching at wounds.

If visiting the beach make sure you enjoy your trip by taking these precautions:

1. Get all the sand off after coming out of the water by showering.


2. Avoid digging and being buried in the sand to lessen the risk of infection.


3. Clean and completely cover any scrape or cut prior to going to the beach.


4. If a scrape, cut or sore looks infected a few days following your trip, see a health care professional as soon as possilble.

Matt's Story

Matt and Clarissa were married last August and then flew to Florida for their honeymoon. Along with taking in all the adventures of Orlando, the two also visited the beautiful Florida beaches where they enjoyed laying out in the sun, building intricate sand castles and body surfing. The following day, Matt noticed what appeared to be a spider bite on the small finger of his left hand. It was sore and had a small pus pocket at the center. By the following day there was redness and swelling that extended up to the joint of his hand. Matt made a visit to the urgent care facility in Florida and the doctor told him that it was an fire ant sting. Matt was given an antibiotic ointment to treat the infection and a steroid shot to reduce the swelling. For a day the finger felt better, but two days later the finger became worse. Arriving back in Utah, Matt went to another urgent care facility. At this time the doctor lanced the finger, drained it of pus and took a culture of the infection. Matt was then given Augmentin, a fairly strong oral antibiotic, for the infection, but the infection only got worse. The finger had more redness, swelling and pus and the swelling extended to the rest of his hand. Matt returned to the urgent care where the abscess was drained again. At this point Matt was told to go to the

emergency room.

The doctor at the ER made a deeper incision and drained the abscess for a third time. He then packed the wound to keep it open so that it could continually drain. Lidocain was injected into Matt's hand but it did little to alleviate the intense pain of draining the abscess. The results from the previous day's culture showed that Matt had contracted MRSA in his finger and from that cellulitis had developed in his hand. Two other smaller infected sores had shown up on Matt's skin; one on his abdomen and one on his thigh just above his knee. After draining the finger abscess Matt was given a one time dose of Vancomycin IV (a very strong antibiotic) and placed on a 10 day regimen of the oral antibiotic Bactrim. Because of the intense pain Matt went through during the draining of the abscess, he was also given an IV pain killer.

Matt missed 10 days of work because of this MRSA infection. He had to visit a hand surgeon to see if there may have been any tendon damage. The surgeon followed up with Matt after the 10 day course of Bactrim and placed Matt on a second round on Bactrim because of unresolved redness and swelling. The total medical cost of Matt's MRSA infection was approximately $5000 and lost income from not working was over $1000.