MRSA - Methicillin Resistant Staph Aureus

Be Aware of MRSA

By Ronald D. Weiss, MD

Medical Director, The Doctor is In,

6701 Bergenline Avenue

Lately, there have been a number of stories in the press regarding a serious and potentially lethal bacterial infection known as MRSA, including that of an otherwise healthy twelve year old Brooklyn boy who died suddenly, eight weeks ago. Two weeks ago, I was made aware of a local resident who was hospitalized with a less serious case of MRSA. The term MRSA refers to methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus, a staph bacteria that has become impervious to many of the antibiotics prescribed by doctors.

1) What is the difference between hospital acquired (HA) and community acquired (CA) MRSA? MRSA was first identified in England in the early sixties and for many years remained primarily a hospital or nursing home based infection known as HA-MRSA that would attack feeble and debilitated patients, producing high rates of morbidity and mortality. In more recent years, it seems that MRSA has gotten a foothold in the general community outside of hospitals and nursing homes; Known as CA-MRSA, it can attack young, strong, healthy individuals.

2) Who is at risk for CA-MRSA? People with compromised immune systems, such as patients with AIDS, cancer, and those undergoing renal dialysis are always at higher risk of contracting aggressive infections than the general population. However, what is alarming about CA-MRSA is that it seems to readily attack people with perfectly healthy immune systems. Outbreaks of CA-MRSA have been reported among athletes, students and prisoners and risk factors include sharing close quarters and personal hygiene products such as razors and towels. CA-MRSA infections are increasingly being seen in gym, school and child daycare settings.

3) What causes MRSA and why is it becoming more common? It is thought that widespread and inappropriate use of antibiotic agents has likely caused the development and spread of MRSA. I often see patients who use antibiotics to inappropriately treat viral infections. In addition, antibiotics are pervasive in our food supply; It is estimated that 25 million pounds of antibiotics are used every year on American farms to produce beef and poultry – that accounts for 75% of all antibiotics used in the United States. It is also possible that many of the germicidal soaps that people use to wash their hands, or sprays used to clean gym surfaces may help to create resistant bacteria such as MRSA.

4) What are the signs of a MRSA infection? Most community acquired MRSA infections start as fairly innocuous red rashes, pimples or boils. If left unattended, the infection can become invasive, spreading into the tissues and internal organs by way of the blood stream. By this point, the patient is usually quite ill, with high fevers, general malaise and constitutional symptoms.

5) How is MRSA treated? The first step is to identify the MRSA as quickly as possible. This is done by a culture of the infection or abscess. If the infection is in fact MRSA, the testing will demonstrate that the bacteria is highly resistant to many of the commonly used antibiotics. The patient is put into isolation at the hospital and started immediately on an antibiotic to which the infection hopefully will not be resistant.

What can I do to reduce the risk of contracting MRSA infection? The average person can do a number of things to significantly reduce his or her chance of contracting MRSA. Firstly, do not take antibiotics unnecessarily, and when antibiotics are proscribed appropriately, make sure to complete the entire course of medication. Secondly, try to support natural ways of raising livestock by purchasing organic meats. Lastly, clean your hands and dirty surfaces thoroughly with regular non-antibiotic infused soap, or with alcohol based gels. Both have been proven effective at killing disease-causing germs and do not promote bacterial resistance to antibiotics.