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MRSA
Overview of
MRSA?
There have
recently been a number of reports about outbreaks of Methicillin-Resistance
Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) infections in schools, prisons,
athletic arenas and other public facilities. MRSA was primarily
related to health care, but is no longer confined to acute
care. This infection has become the most common cause of soft
tissue and skin infections among people in highly populated
areas and facilities. There was a study released that showed
MRSA kills some 18,000 Americans each year and will kill more
people than AIDS. This disease has been around for many years,
it’s just becoming more known. MRSA is a type of Staphylococcus
Aureus or “staph” infection that is resistant to certain
types of antibiotics. To understand MRSA, you should have
general understanding of staph infection.
What is
Staphylococcus Aureus?
Staphylococcus Aureus or “staph,” is a bacterium which is
usually carried on the skin or in the nose of healthy people.
Approximately 25-30% of the United States population carries
staph on their bodies, however, the bacteria does not always
cause sickness or an infection. Only about 1% normally carries
the strain of MRSA. There are many different kinds of staph,
but they are not all harmful. Many people who are carrying the
bacteria do not know they are carrying it because they have no
skin infections or any signs or symptoms of illness. When this
occurs it is called colonization. Pimples, pus-filled boils,
rashes and other skin problems, especially when warm, painful,
red or swollen areas, can mean that you have a staph infection.
It can also cause more serious illnesses if it gets into the
bloodstream, lungs or a wound after you have surgery. Symptoms
could include a high fever, headache, fatigue, swelling, heat
and pain around the wound and others. Unlike MRSA, Staph
infections can possibly be treated with certain antibiotics.
However, Staph was the first bacterium in which
penicillin resistance was found, in 1947, just four years after
the anitbiotic started being mass-produced. Methicillin was
then the antibiotic of choice, but has since been replaced by
oxacillin due to significant kidney toxicity.
What is Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus
Aureas?
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus
(MRSA) is a type of Staphylococcus aureus (“staph”)
bacteria which is resistant to certain common antibiotics.
MRSA is also known as Oxacillin-Resistant
Staphylococcus Aureus (ORSA), multiple-resistant Staphylococcus
aureus, CA-MRSA (community-acquired MRSA) and HA-MRSA
(hospital-acquired MRSA). MRSA was first detected in Britain in
1961 and noted as a biological agent responsible for
difficult-to-treat infections in humans. It has evolved the
ability to survive treatment with beta-lactam antibiotics,
including penicillin, amoxicillin and methicillin.
However, in an article published by Reuters Health on July 19,
2007, the combination of ertapenem and linezolid drugs was found
to be synergistic against MRSA.
MRSA is popularly termed, in the press, as a
superbug, or staph infection connection.
So what is a superbug?
It is simply a bacterium that has developed an
antibiotic resistance as a consequence of evolution. If a
bacterium carries several resistance genes, it is called
multiresistant or, informally, a superbug. How does this
happen? Overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics slows the
development of methicillin resistance. Other factors
contributing towards resistance include incorrect diagnosis,
unnecessary prescriptions, improper use of antibiotics by
patients and the use of antibiotics as livestock food additives
for growth promotion. As the bacteria develops resistance,
those bacteria which have mutated allowing them to survive, will
live on to reproduce. These mutated bacteria will then pass
this trait on to their offspring, which will become a fully
resistant generation. Several studies have shown that patterns
of antibiotic usage greatly affect the number of resistant
organisms that develop.
How is it
spread?
Staph,
including MRSA, is spread by direct skin-to-skin contact,
contact with items that have been touched by people with staph,
like towels shared after bathing and drying off, or shared
athletic equipment in the gym or on the field. Bacteria live on
everyone’s skin and usually cause no harm, but when staph
bacteria get in your body through a break in the skin, such as a
cut or scrape, it can cause a “staph” infection. MRSA can cause
skin infections that look like infections caused by other staph.
How is it
treated?
If kept clean
and dry, regular staph infections may heal themselves. If they
do not heal by themselves, they may need to be evaluated by a
doctor. The doctor may have to drain and clean an infected boil
or wound and even prescribe an antibiotic. MRSA cannot be
identified without special lab tests and it’s not always
identified and treated correctly when antibiotic treatment is
needed. Doctors may assume that a MRSA infection is a common
staph infection and treat it with antibiotics that don’t kill
MRSA. When this happens it can result in prolonged illness and
rare life-threatening illnesses in the blood, heart and bones. Staph
infections can be confirmed by a lab test. A second test
determines whether or not it’s MRSA.
What do you
do if you think MRSA may be present?
You should
contact a qualified environmental inspector to come and identify
the areas where potential problems might exist. The two most
commonly used methods the inspector will do for sampling are DNA
and/or a Culturable Sample. Sterile swabs are most often used,
which are then sent to a qualified laboratory for analysis. DNA
analysis will explain if MRSA may have been or is present on the
area(s) sampled. A culture will tell you whether the spores
which are present are dead or live.
Hand-washing
and cleaning is critical in controlling infectious diseases.
Vaporized sanitizers or foggable products reach areas missed by
traditional cleaning methods. Proper application of ozone gas
has proven to be very effective in destroying the bacteria in
protective sports equipment. You can also use products such as,
BioShield75 as a cleaner/protectant for MRSA. Alcohol has
proven to be an effective topical sanitizer against MRSA.
Quaternary ammonium can be used in conjunction with alcohol to
increase the duration of the sanitizing action. The prevention
of nosocomial infections involves routine and terminal
cleaning.
What do I
do?
For more
information please contact your local
EnviroSpect environmental inspector,
or contact us at 1-866-SPECT81.
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