MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It is a type of Staphylococcus aureus bacterium. These bacteria are resistant to common antibiotics, including methicillin. You may have read about MRSA being a superbug. Show
What is Staphylococcus aureus (staph)?Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria live in the nose or on skin. You can harbor staph bacteria, including MRSA, and not know it. A healthcare expert might refer to this as bacterial colonization. Colonized people (carriers) may one day develop an MRSA infection, or they might stay healthy. Staph, including MRSA, bacteria live in these body parts:
How common is MRSA?Approximately 1 in 3 Americans are carriers of staph bacteria at any time. Up to half of these could be MRSA. It's important to emphasize that Staph aureus or MRSA carriage is not a disease. What are the types of MRSA infections?Two categories of MRSA are:
Who is at risk for MRSA infection?MRSA infection affects all ages and genders. Animals can carry MRSA, although they often get it from people. Intravenous drug users who share needles are 16 times more likely to get MRSA infection. Certain workers and members of the community are more at risk for MRSA infection. These include:
Many people who carry MRSA never get sick. The bacterium remains within the skin or mucosa where it has established colonization. Problems arise when MRSA on the skin surface in a colonized person enters the skin through a wound or other opening and invades deeper structures. How does MRSA spread?You can get colonized with MRSA through direct contact with an infected person or animal. MRSA can survive on surfaces for hours, sometimes weeks. You can pick up the bacteria by touching or sharing contaminated items, such as:
What are the symptoms of MRSA infection?MRSA can cause a skin rash or infection that looks like a spider bite or pimples. The red, swollen bumps may feel warm and be tender to touch. The rash may ooze. MRSA can also cause deeper infections in different parts of the body. In severe infections the bacterium may invade the bloodstream, a situation which would be called a bloodstream infection. Symptoms of bloodstream infection include fever and chills.
To diagnose an MRSA infection, your healthcare provider will take a small sample of skin or discharge from an open wound. Your provider may order a blood test called a blood culture. A lab checks for MRSA in these samples.
MRSA infections can occur at various sites and may be serious, even life-threatening. Important MRSA infections include: How is MRSA infection managed or treated?The two principles of treating Staph aureus infections, including MRSA infections, are source control and antibiotic therapy:
What should I know about MRSA treatments?Milder infections can be treated with oral antibiotics (antibiotic pills). More severe infections may require intravenous antibiotic treatment. It is very important to take all of the antibiotics exactly as your healthcare provider prescribes. You should also call your provider if an infection doesn’t start to clear up within a few days of taking a prescribed antibiotic. You may need to go to the hospital for stronger intravenous antibiotics.
You can lower your risk of getting MRSA by taking these steps:
Most MRSA skin infections clear up with treatment. MRSA is most dangerous if it enters the bloodstream. MRSA bloodstream infections can be serious. A bloodstream infection requires immediate medical attention.
You should call your healthcare provider if you experience:
What questions should I ask my doctor?You may want to ask your healthcare provider:
A note from Cleveland Clinic Many people carry Staph aureus or MRSA bacteria in their skin or noses for varying periods of time and never know it. This is not a problem. In some people, MRSA bacteria cause painful skin infections or more serious invasive infections. People in hospitals or nursing homes are at increased risk for MRSA infections. But you can pick up the bacteria in community settings, too. Contact your healthcare provider if you develop a skin infection or show signs of MRSA.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 01/19/2021. References
Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of drug-resistant staph infection. MRSA most commonly causes relatively mild skin infections that are easily treated. However, if MRSA gets into your bloodstream, it can cause infections in other organs like your heart, which is called endocarditis. It can also cause sepsis, which is the body’s overwhelming response to infection. If these situations occur and they aren’t or can’t be treated, you can die from MRSA. Staphylococcus aureus (SA) is a very common bacteria that lives on your skin and inside your nose without causing a problem. However, if it gets into your skin through an opening like a cut or scrape, it can cause a skin infection. Fortunately, antibiotics can easily cure most infections. Over time, some SA strains have become resistant, or immune, to a class of antibiotics called beta-lactams, or β-lactams. This class includes penicillin and similar antibiotics like amoxicillin. It also includes cephalosporins. These antibiotics are most often used to treat skin infections. Antibiotic resistance was first discovered with a penicillin-like antibiotic called methicillin. That’s why they’re called “methicillin-resistant” even though that antibiotic isn’t used anymore. MRSA skin infections usually aren’t serious and typically respond to treatment. But when MRSA gets inside your body, which is called invasive MRSA, it can cause a serious infection in your bloodstream or other organs. This is a life-threatening infection and more difficult to treat. types of mrsa Symptoms vary depending on where the infection is located. SkinAn MRSA skin infection is sometimes mistaken for a large pimple, impetigo, or spider bite due to their similar appearance. Some types of skin infections it can cause are:
It consists of one or more raised lumps or sore spots on your skin. Other symptoms may include:
There may be signs that it contains pus such as:
LungsMRSA can cause severe pneumonia if it gets into your lungs. Pus-filled lung abscesses and empyema can form. Symptoms include:
HeartMRSA can infect the inside of your heart. This can quickly damage your heart valves. Some symptoms are: BloodstreamBacteremia means there are bacteria in your bloodstream. It’s a very serious and life-threatening condition that can lead to sepsis and septic shock. Symptoms may include: BoneOsteomyelitis is another name for a bone infection. When MRSA causes an infection in a bone, symptoms include:
MRSA is very contagious. It’s transmitted through contact with a person who has the infection or any object or surface that has MRSA on it. Having MRSA on your skin doesn’t mean you have an infection. People who have MRSA but aren’t sick are said to be colonized. They’re called carriers, and they can transmit MRSA to others. They’re also more likely to develop an infection. MRSA only causes an infection when it finds an opening such as a cut and enters your skin or body. risk factors for mrsa infection MRSA is transmitted through contact with someone who has the infection or any object or surface that has the bacteria on it. The two types of MRSA are transmitted in different ways. CA-MRSACA-MRSA can be quickly transmitted in places where you’re in close contact with other people. This includes:
It’s also easily transmitted when equipment is shared like at a gym or on amusement park rides. HA-MRSAYou usually get HA-MRSA from a colonized healthcare worker or a healthcare worker who has acquired the infection. Visitors to a healthcare facility can also spread MRSA. MRSA’s more likely to cause an infection when there’s a pathway for the bacteria to enter your body. This may be: There are things you can do to help prevent MRSA from being transmitted.
When MRSA is suspected to be the cause of an infection, a sample of the bacteria-containing fluid or tissue is obtained and grown in a dish, or cultured. The bacteria grows and can be identified by looking at it under a microscope. The sample could be: Special tests called susceptibility testing are done to determine which antibiotics the bacteria are resistant to and which can be used to kill it and stop the infection. Other tests might be done to look at the infection inside an organ. They may include:
MRSA-causing infections can look very similar to those caused by other nonresistant bacteria. If MRSA isn’t suspected, it could be misdiagnosed and treated with an antibiotic that it’s resistant to. Your doctor will usually culture the wound when they see the infection didn’t improve or got worse. They can then use this culture to correctly diagnose MRSA and determine the appropriate treatment. Obtaining an accurate diagnosis is critical because prompt and appropriate treatment significantly lowers the risk of the infection getting worse and becoming invasive. Most MRSA skin infections are opened via an incision, and the pus is drained. This is usually enough to cure the infection. Antibiotics are often given after drainage if:
The pus is cultured to determine the most effective antibiotic, but this can take a few days. In the meantime, you’ll be given empiric antibiotics. This means you’ll be given an antibiotic that your doctor thinks will be effective based on MRSA susceptibility in your area. There are several antibiotics that work on MRSA. They include: Rifampin (Rifadin) is another antibiotic used in treating MRSA. It’s not typically used alone. It’s usually used in combination therapy. There are pros and cons for each antibiotic. Your doctor will give you the one that’s best for you. Always take all of the antibiotic pills that are prescribed even if your wound looks healed. If you don’t, the strongest bacteria may survive. This can create bacteria that are more resistant to a wider variety of antibiotics. Never try to pop or drain the pus from a skin infection yourself. You can push the MRSA deeper into your skin or into your bloodstream, which can cause an invasive infection. Invasive infectionsWhen MRSA gets into your body, it can cause a serious and life-threatening infection in your bloodstream or an organ. Invasive infections are treated in the hospital with one or more IV antibiotics. Vancomycin (Vancocin) is usually one of the antibiotics used. Invasive MRSA infections can overwhelm your immune system and can be very hard to treat. Many people die. Additional support is usually needed in severe infections while the body tries to heal. It may include:
when to see your doctor The outlook depends on the infection site. MRSA skin infections can be cured with prompt and appropriate treatment. If you have recurrent skin infections you can be tested and treated for MRSA colonization, which should stop the infections. The outlook for invasive MRSA infections depends on the severity. Less severe infections are more likely to be cured, but it may take a long time. Some infections require weeks of antibiotics to treat. Very severe infections don’t respond well to treatment and aren’t often cured. Prevention precautions and prompt treatment for skin infections are the best ways to avoid invasive MRSA infections. MRSA infections that you acquire outside of a healthcare facility are usually easily treatable. It’s very important to start treatment early and follow your doctor’s instructions on wound care and ways to avoid transmitting the bacteria. It’s also important to take antibiotics as long as prescribed. Invasive infections are much more serious. They almost always require aggressive treatment with IV antibiotics in the hospital. Even then, you can die from a severe infection. The best way to increase the likelihood of a good outcome is to see your doctor right away if you think you have a MRSA infection, or you have an infection that’s not getting better after treatment. |