MRSA is a drug-resistant strain of staph bacteria that is difficult to treat, with vancomycin being the common treatment. Alcohol-based handwashing is effective in preventing transmission, but once the skin is broken, the infection can lead to serious complications. Prevention is key, and medical researchers are working to find new ways to destroy MRSA without harming patients.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is a strain of the staph bacteria that has developed drug resistance to all forms of penicillin. MRSA infection is most commonly found in hospitals and is more likely to occur in patients who have weakened immune systems, such as in the case of patients with cystic fibrosis. Perfectly healthy people can also have MRSA and may have skin, nose, urinary tract or respiratory tract infections.
MRSA is difficult to treat because staph is so strong and has evolved into a highly resistant strain. The common treatment is to give vancomycin, another antibiotic. However, the bacteria can be resistant to vancomycin and are called vancomycin-resistant staphylococci, or VISA.
Figuratively speaking, MRSA and VISA are indeed part of a pitched battle between medicine and germs. As MRSA has been shown to evolve and become resistant to other forms of antibiotics, new antibiotics are being tried. These eventually lead to staph strains that are resistant to the new antibiotics. This is a deadly serious race between the development of new drugs and the evolution of staph bacteria. One reason doctors are now reluctant to use antibiotics is to prevent infections with MRSA and other bacterial strains from taking a leap forward and becoming even more resistant.
One thing that has been shown to be quite effective in killing the MRSA infection before it sets in is ordinary denatured alcohol. In fact, many hospitals now use alcohol-based waterless handwashing, as well as regular handwashing to avoid passing it on. Also key is sanitizing the area where the skin needs to be broken, such as when a nurse or doctor puts an intravenous (IV) line in it.
However, when the skin is already broken, too many bacteria may have grown and therefore cannot be killed with alcohol. Necrotizing fasciitis or flesh-eating bacteria can result from MRSA in open wounds. In some cases, the only effective treatment is the removal of significant tissue around the infected area, which sometimes means amputation of an affected limb. A further infection that develops in the lungs or urinary tract cannot be treated with alcohol.
Some people fight off the MRSA infection naturally on their own. Some are carriers and have no outward symptoms. While this condition most commonly occurs in hospitals, there is concern that it is found in some strange places; e.g. changing rooms and illegal tattoo parlors. Additionally, hospital officials are concerned about such infections occurring in hospitals or children’s wards and are particularly concerned about MRSA reaching infants in hospital daycare centers.
There is some concern that while MRSA infection is normally transmitted by skin-to-skin contact, it could also have some forms that can be inhaled, further increasing the risk to patients in hospitals and their visitors. It’s hard not to be concerned about the future of medical care as MRSA continues to evolve.
Treatment of MRSA usually means broad-spectrum antibiotics, and some patients with advanced MRSA may have a higher mortality rate. The best treatment is undoubtedly prevention. It is highly recommended to use alcohol handwashing in a hospital setting. Also, if you’re a patient, it’s perfectly acceptable to ask a healthcare professional to wash their hands before touching you. Even if a doctor or nurse has already done this, most will be happy to accommodate the request again.
While MRSA infection is potentially life-threatening, it is also relatively rare. To keep infection rates down, medical researchers spend a lot of time studying MRSA and finding ways to effectively destroy it without hurting infected patients. Patients who develop MRSA infections tend to be quarantined in a hospital setting.
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