When a person touches the infected area and does not clean their hands after and then another person or an object, the germs are spread by their hands. Sometimes people do not know they have MRSA and do not clean objects after touching or using them, so the germs stay on the object when the next person uses it. These types of infections are most likely to be spread in places where people are in close contact with others—for example, schools and locker rooms where athletes might share razors or towels.
Symptoms As with all staph infections, recognizing the signs and receiving treatment for staph skin infections in the early stages reduces the chances of the infection becoming severe. MRSA in healthcare settings usually causes more severe and potentially life-threatening infections, such as bloodstream infections, surgical site infections, or pneumonia. The signs and symptoms will vary by the type and stage of the infection. In the community, most MRSA infections are skin infections that may appear as pustules or boils which often are red, swollen, painful, or have pus or other drainage.
They often first look like pimples, spider bites or bumps that are red, swollen, and painful. Scientists are working towards understanding the differences between these strains and determining why certain people become infected and seriously ill. The incidence of disease caused by MRSA bacteria is increasing worldwide. Thirty years ago, MRSA accounted for 2 percent of staph infections. By , 64 percent of staph infections were caused by MRSA.
The majority of MRSA cases, 85 percent, were associated with healthcare facilities, while approximately 14 percent occurred in individuals with no known exposure to healthcare.
The staph bacterium continues to evolve and is beginning to show resistance to additional antibiotics. In the first staph strains were found that are resistant to vancomycin, an antibiotic that is one of the few available treatments used as a last resort against MRSA. Although vancomycin-resistant staph strains are currently still quite rare, it is feared that these strains will become more widespread over time and further reduce the limited number of antibiotics that are effective against MRSA.
The rising problem of resistance of staph bacteria to methicillin and other antibiotics is part of a larger issue that greatly concerns healthcare professionals. The emergence of antimicrobial-resistant organisms is making it more difficult to treat a variety of infectious diseases. Drug resistance occurs because microbes, such as staph bacteria, need to reproduce to ensure their survival. When this ability is threatened, as when they are exposed to antibiotics, microbes adapt and evolve to overcome the block to their reproduction.
This can occur naturally, and microbes become genetically altered in ways which allow them to survive in the presence of antimicrobial drugs. However, drug resistance adaptations can be accelerated by human actions, particularly by the overuse and inappropriate use of antibiotics. The escalating use of antimicrobials in humans, animals, and agriculture is increasing the problem of drug resistance.
The consequences of antimicrobial resistance pose a significant concern to scientists and medical professionals. Staph bacteria are one of the most common causes of skin infections in the United States. Staph infections, including MRSA, occur most frequently among persons with weakened immune systems in hospitals or other healthcare facilities such as nursing homes or dialysis centers. These staph infections are considered to be healthcare-associated. Healthcare-associated staph infections may include bedsores, surgical wound infections, meningitis, urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections or pneumonia.
Staph and MRSA can also cause illness in persons outside of hospitals and healthcare facilities. An ambulance took him to Hartford Hospital's emergency room, and he was given a private room, where, his daughter said, five hours passed before he received staples for the wound. She said the hospital decided it would be better to keep her father overnight.
Overnight turned into four days, during which time Jeanne Hamilton said her father seemed to be deteriorating. She asked that he be discharged back to the clinic at Duncaster, which she hoped would improve his spirits and recovery. Jeanne Hamilton said her father arrived back at Duncaster around 7 p. She drove home to feed her dogs and then returned and spent the night at her father's side. About 12 hours after his discharge, T. Stewart Hamilton was readmitted to Hartford Hospital the morning of July 22 because he needed an oxygen tube inserted into his throat.
It was at this point, according to a hospital summary of his second stay, that MRSA was discovered in cultures taken of his blood upon readmission. On July 28, she was approached by Dr. John McArdle , then of Hartford Hospital's intensive care unit, she said.
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