MRSA and VRE are antibiotic-resistant bacteria that pose a risk to sick people, with infections most commonly spread in hospitals. MRSA lives in the nose and on the skin, while VRE lives in the intestines or female genitalia. Both can be killed with antibiotics and simple cleaning protocols, but the risk of them developing resistance to other antibiotics is a concern. Doctors are now more reluctant to use antibiotics unless necessary to avoid creating new antibiotic resistance.
MRSA and VRE (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus and enterococcus/vancomycin-resistant enterococcus) are two types of bacteria that live in different parts of the body and are resistant to certain antibiotics. This resistance makes infection with both germs difficult to treat and poses a special risk to sick people. Infections are most often spread in hospitals, although community-based forms of MRSA also exist. The main differences between these two bacteria are that they are separate bacteria and are resistant to different types of antibiotics.
Staph and enterococcus are not always MRSA or VRE. These types of bacteria are specialized and have developed resistance to methicillin or vancomycin, respectively. Regular forms of staph and enterococcus could still be treated effectively with these antibiotics, although other antibiotics may be preferred to avoid encouraging staph or enterococcal germs to develop this resistance. It is worth noting that all people tend to carry some amount of staph or enterococci with them and sometimes the types that people carry are MRSA and VRE. This does not mean that the person is infected or will ever be infected, only that they are colonized or maintain a bacterial colony of these specialized germs.
When people have MRSA, whether they’re simply colonized or infected, the bacteria mostly live in the nose and sometimes on the skin. VRE most often lives in the intestines or female genitalia. If either bacteria comes into contact with hands or skin, it can pass from hand to hand, into other skin contact and from there into the respiratory tract, other body orifices, or open wounds.
VRE infections are transmitted skin-to-skin slightly less readily than MRSA; the most common infection results from contact between the fluid and the skin. This makes MRSA potentially more dangerous and easier to transmit. Especially in the hospital setting where people are sick and most vulnerable to infection, MRSA poses the greatest risk. On the other hand, VRE infections are being reported in increasing numbers in hospitals and health care settings.
The good news is that there are antibiotics that can kill MRSA and VRE, but infections must be identified early and the right drugs selected, for the most favorable outcome. Additionally, both of these bacteria can be killed with simple cleaning protocols. Handwashing alone can significantly reduce the spread of both diseases, and keeping hospitals or other medical facilities and equipment clean is crucial. Failure to follow these protocols can cause both germs to spread, which poses an exceptional risk to medically vulnerable individuals.
A shared concern about MRSA and VRE, alike, is that they could develop resistance to other antibiotics. If these superbugs continue to fight off the new antibiotics used to treat them, it’s possible they will eventually become incurable. This knowledge has led to changes in the way antibiotics are used, with most doctors now more reluctant to employ them unless they are certain they will cure a bacterial infection. Less frequent use can lead to fewer opportunities for bacteria such as MRSA and VRE to create new or additional antibiotic resistance.
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