MRSA infection – Symptoms & causes

Overview

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is caused by a type of staph bacteria that’s become resistant to many of the antibiotics used to treat ordinary staph infections.

Most methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections occur in people who’ve been in hospitals or other health care settings, such as nursing homes and dialysis centers. When it occurs in these settings, it’s known as health care-associated (HA-MRSA). health care-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (HA-MRSA) infections usually are associated with invasive procedures or devices, such as surgeries, intravenous tubing or artificial joints. HA-MRSA can spread by health care workers touching people with unclean hands or people touching unclean surfaces.

Another type of infection has occurred in the wider community — among healthy people. This form, community-associated (CA-MRSA), often begins as a painful skin boil. It’s usually spread by skin-to-skin contact. At-risk populations include groups such as high school wrestlers, child care workers and people who live in crowded conditions.

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Symptoms

Staph skin infections, including , generally start as swollen, painful red bumps that might look like pimples or spider bites. The affected area might be:

• Warm to the touch
• Full of pus or other drainage
• Accompanied by a fever

Staph infection

infections start out as small red bumps that can quickly turn into deep, painful abscesses.

These red bumps can quickly turn into deep, painful boils (abscesses) that require surgical draining. Sometimes the bacteria remain confined to the skin. But they can also burrow deep into the body, causing potentially life-threatening infections in bones, joints, surgical wounds, the bloodstream, heart valves and lungs.

When to see a doctor

Keep an eye on minor skin problems — pimples, insect bites, cuts and scrapes — especially in children. If wounds appear infected or are accompanied by a fever, see your doctor.

Causes

Different varieties of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, commonly called “staph,” exist. Staph bacteria are normally found on the skin or in the nose of about one-third of the population. The bacteria are generally harmless unless they enter the body through a cut or other wound, and even then they usually cause only minor skin problems in healthy people.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 5% of the population chronically carries the type of staph bacteria known as .

Antibiotic resistance

is the result of decades of often unnecessary antibiotic use. For years, antibiotics have been prescribed for colds, flu and other viral infections that don’t respond to these drugs. Even when antibiotics are used appropriately, they contribute to the rise of drug-resistant bacteria because they don’t destroy every germ they target. Bacteria live on an evolutionary fast track, so germs that survive treatment with one antibiotic soon learn to resist others.

Risk factors

Because hospital and community strains of generally occur in different settings, the risk factors for the two strains differ.

Risk factors for HA-MRSA

• Being hospitalized. remains a concern in hospitals, where it can attack those most vulnerable — older adults and people with weakened immune systems.
• Having an invasive medical device. Medical tubing — such as intravenous lines or urinary catheters — can provide a pathway for to travel into your body.
• Residing in a long-term care facility. is prevalent in nursing homes. Carriers of have the ability to spread it, even if they’re not sick themselves.

Risk factors for CA-MRSA

• Participating in contact sports. can spread easily through cuts and scrapes and skin-to-skin contact.
• Living in crowded or unsanitary conditions. outbreaks have occurred in military training camps, child care centers and jails.
• Men having sex with men. Men who have sex with men have a higher risk of developing infections.
• Having HIV infection. People with HIV have a higher risk of developing infections.
• Using illicit injected drugs. People who use illicit injected drugs have a higher risk of infections.

Complications

infections can resist the effects of many common antibiotics, so they’re more difficult to treat. This can allow the infections to spread and sometimes become life-threatening.

infections may affect your:

• Bloodstream
• Lungs
• Heart
• Bones
• Joints

Prevention

Preventing HA-MRSA

In the hospital, people who are infected or colonized with often are placed in isolation as a measure to prevent the spread of . Visitors and health care workers caring for people in isolation may need to wear protective garments.

They also must follow strict hand hygiene procedures. For example, health care workers can help prevent HA-MRSA by washing their hands with soap and water or using hand sanitizer before and after each clinical appointment.

Hospital rooms, surfaces and equipment, as well as laundry items, need to be properly disinfected and cleaned regularly.

Preventing CA-MRSA

• Wash your hands. Careful hand washing remains your best defense against germs. Scrub hands briskly for at least 20 seconds. Carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol for times when you don’t have access to soap and water.
• Keep wounds covered. Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with clean, dry bandages until they heal. The pus from infected sores may contain , and keeping wounds covered can help prevent the spread of the bacteria.
• Keep personal items personal. Avoid sharing personal items such as towels, sheets, razors, clothing and athletic equipment. spreads on infected objects as well as through direct contact.
• Shower after athletic games or practices. Shower immediately after each game or practice. Use soap and water. Don’t share towels.
• Sanitize linens. If you have a cut or sore, wash towels and bed linens in a washing machine set to the hottest water setting (with added bleach, if possible) and dry them in a hot dryer. Wash gym and athletic clothes after each wearing.

More Information

MRSA infection – Symptoms & causes

Overview

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is caused by a type of staph bacteria that’s become resistant to many of the antibiotics used to treat ordinary staph infections.

Most methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections occur in people who’ve been in hospitals or other health care settings, such as nursing homes and dialysis centers. When it occurs in these settings, it’s known as health care-associated (HA-MRSA). health care-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (HA-MRSA) infections usually are associated with invasive procedures or devices, such as surgeries, intravenous tubing or artificial joints. HA-MRSA can spread by health care workers touching people with unclean hands or people touching unclean surfaces.

Another type of infection has occurred in the wider community — among healthy people. This form, community-associated (CA-MRSA), often begins as a painful skin boil. It’s usually spread by skin-to-skin contact. At-risk populations include groups such as high school wrestlers, child care workers and people who live in crowded conditions.

Products & Services

Symptoms

Staph skin infections, including , generally start as swollen, painful red bumps that might look like pimples or spider bites. The affected area might be:

• Warm to the touch
• Full of pus or other drainage
• Accompanied by a fever

Staph infection

infections start out as small red bumps that can quickly turn into deep, painful abscesses.

These red bumps can quickly turn into deep, painful boils (abscesses) that require surgical draining. Sometimes the bacteria remain confined to the skin. But they can also burrow deep into the body, causing potentially life-threatening infections in bones, joints, surgical wounds, the bloodstream, heart valves and lungs.

When to see a doctor

Keep an eye on minor skin problems — pimples, insect bites, cuts and scrapes — especially in children. If wounds appear infected or are accompanied by a fever, see your doctor.

Causes

Different varieties of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, commonly called “staph,” exist. Staph bacteria are normally found on the skin or in the nose of about one-third of the population. The bacteria are generally harmless unless they enter the body through a cut or other wound, and even then they usually cause only minor skin problems in healthy people.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 5% of the population chronically carries the type of staph bacteria known as .

Antibiotic resistance

is the result of decades of often unnecessary antibiotic use. For years, antibiotics have been prescribed for colds, flu and other viral infections that don’t respond to these drugs. Even when antibiotics are used appropriately, they contribute to the rise of drug-resistant bacteria because they don’t destroy every germ they target. Bacteria live on an evolutionary fast track, so germs that survive treatment with one antibiotic soon learn to resist others.

Risk factors

Because hospital and community strains of generally occur in different settings, the risk factors for the two strains differ.

Risk factors for HA-MRSA

• Being hospitalized. remains a concern in hospitals, where it can attack those most vulnerable — older adults and people with weakened immune systems.
• Having an invasive medical device. Medical tubing — such as intravenous lines or urinary catheters — can provide a pathway for to travel into your body.
• Residing in a long-term care facility. is prevalent in nursing homes. Carriers of have the ability to spread it, even if they’re not sick themselves.

Risk factors for CA-MRSA

• Participating in contact sports. can spread easily through cuts and scrapes and skin-to-skin contact.
• Living in crowded or unsanitary conditions. outbreaks have occurred in military training camps, child care centers and jails.
• Men having sex with men. Men who have sex with men have a higher risk of developing infections.
• Having HIV infection. People with HIV have a higher risk of developing infections.
• Using illicit injected drugs. People who use illicit injected drugs have a higher risk of infections.

Complications

infections can resist the effects of many common antibiotics, so they’re more difficult to treat. This can allow the infections to spread and sometimes become life-threatening.

infections may affect your:

• Bloodstream
• Lungs
• Heart
• Bones
• Joints

Prevention

Preventing HA-MRSA

In the hospital, people who are infected or colonized with often are placed in isolation as a measure to prevent the spread of . Visitors and health care workers caring for people in isolation may need to wear protective garments.

They also must follow strict hand hygiene procedures. For example, health care workers can help prevent HA-MRSA by washing their hands with soap and water or using hand sanitizer before and after each clinical appointment.

Hospital rooms, surfaces and equipment, as well as laundry items, need to be properly disinfected and cleaned regularly.

Preventing CA-MRSA

• Wash your hands. Careful hand washing remains your best defense against germs. Scrub hands briskly for at least 20 seconds. Carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol for times when you don’t have access to soap and water.
• Keep wounds covered. Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with clean, dry bandages until they heal. The pus from infected sores may contain , and keeping wounds covered can help prevent the spread of the bacteria.
• Keep personal items personal. Avoid sharing personal items such as towels, sheets, razors, clothing and athletic equipment. spreads on infected objects as well as through direct contact.
• Shower after athletic games or practices. Shower immediately after each game or practice. Use soap and water. Don’t share towels.
• Sanitize linens. If you have a cut or sore, wash towels and bed linens in a washing machine set to the hottest water setting (with added bleach, if possible) and dry them in a hot dryer. Wash gym and athletic clothes after each wearing.

More Information

child and adult treatment

Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic bacteria that lives in the nose of many people. Experts call Staphylococcus aureus methicillin-resistant (MRSA) because the bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics. Staphylococcus aureus in the nose is a widespread occurrence. It can be found on the mucous membranes of 75% of people. The microbe does not cause harm as long as the person has a strong immune system.

The immune system of a healthy, physically strong person easily copes with this bacterium, but after taking antibiotics, influenza and other viral diseases, severe hypothermia, immunity decreases, and staphylococci become more active and become dangerous.

ContentsShow

• 1 How the bacterium enters the nose – methods of infection
• 2 What is the danger of Staphylococcus activation?
• 3 Symptoms of infection
• 4 Diagnosis
• 5 Methods of treatment
  • 5.1 Medicines
  • 5.2 Traditional methods
• 6 Is it possible to protect yourself?

How the bacterium enters the nose – methods of infection

Aureus can live in various parts of the human body: in the pharynx, in the perineum, in the armpits, in the rectum. Infection with Staphylococcus aureus occurs mainly through the contact-household route. Bacteria pass from person to person through direct contact: through handshakes and other types of touch.

Staphylococci are able to survive in the environment for a long time, therefore they are transmitted through household items, bedding, clothing. Especially many microbes are found in dry house dust.

Epidemiologists divide people into three groups:

• carriers of Staphylococcus aureus, from whose pharynx a culture of this bacterium can be isolated at any time;
• uninfected people – no staphylococcus aureus in the nose;
• variable carriers – bacteria can only be isolated in certain periods of time.

In the human population, 20% of people are permanent carriers of staphylococcus aureus. They cannot be cured of the infection. Another 20% never carry these bacteria. The remaining 60% of the population are variable carriers.

Some categories of the population are almost 100% infected with staphylococcus: AIDS patients, carriers of the immunodeficiency virus, insulin-dependent diabetics, patients undergoing hemodialysis, dermatological patients.

Author:

Elena Mironova

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Studies show that 8% of people admitted to a hospital are already infected with Staphylococcus aureus. They pose a danger to other patients and to themselves, since bacteria are activated in a sick person.

The microbe is transmitted in the following ways:

• by aspiration;
• contact;
• fecal-oral;
• vertical – from mother to fetus.

The role of the airborne route increases during epidemics of influenza and SARS.

Pets can be a source of Staphylococcus aureus. Especially often the pathogen is found in dogs and horses.

You can become infected with Staphylococcus aureus after medical procedures. Bacteria are transmitted through medical instruments and by contact – through the hands of medical staff. The source of infection can be medical equipment, dressings, and even elevator buttons in a hospital. Cases of the spread of Staphylococcus aureus through stethoscopes, implants, artificial lung ventilation devices, photos and other paper media, phones and personal computers have been proven.

Why is staphylococcus activation dangerous?

Activated, MRSA can cause serious life-threatening diseases:

• pneumonia;
• sepsis;
• toxic shock.

Complications of staphylococcal infection significantly affect medical statistics: they increase the mortality rate in medical hospitals and the average length of stay of patients in the hospital.

There are many types of staphylococci, of which aureus is the most dangerous. Patients infected with Staphylococcus aureus die in hospital three times more often than people with staph infections caused by antibiotic-susceptible species.

Symptoms of infection

Activation of MRSA in the nasopharynx causes accumulation of mucus on the back of the pharynx. The patient has to constantly expectorate. An unpleasant odor appears in the mouth.

Why is activated staphylococcus dangerous?

It can cause the following diseases of the nose and throat:

• Chronic rhinitis is a pathology in which mucus is constantly secreted from the nose.
• Chronic sinusitis – inflammation of the sinuses. Accompanied by discharge from the nose and pain in the nose, cough.
• Chronic adenoiditis is a pathological enlargement of the nasopharyngeal tonsil, which can lead to serious damage to the kidneys, heart, digestive tract and joints.
• Chronic tonsillitis – long-term inflammation of the tonsils

Diagnosis

Microscopic examination is used to detect Staphylococcus aureus. For microscopy, nasal discharge or sputum is taken.

The biomaterial is collected by a medical worker. The procedure is performed in compliance with the rules of asepsis. The biomaterial is transferred to a Petri dish on blood agar and placed in a thermostat for 24-48 hours, where the temperature is maintained at +35…+37°C.

A smear is made from the formed colony of microorganisms, Gram-stained and microscopically examined. To distinguish Staphylococcus aureus from other species, several additional tests are performed. Having identified staphylococcus aureus, it is necessary to determine its sensitivity to antibiotics.

Molecular genetic methods are used to detect staphylococcus aureus in immunosuppressed patients.

Methods of treatment

Antibacterial therapy helps to get rid of bacteria in the nasopharynx. Preparations for treatment are available in the form of ointments, sprays and solutions. Simultaneously with drug therapy, it is necessary to observe sanitary and hygienic measures: change bed linen and clothes every day, wash clothes at a temperature of more than + 60 ° C.

Usually the therapeutic course lasts no more than 10 days and ends with control samples on days 7, 14 and 21, and then after 3, 6 and 12 months. If the follow-up check reveals MRSA, the treatment will have to be repeated.

Medicines

The main difficulty in the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus is that these bacteria are not sensitive to antibiotics – a well-known pediatrician, Dr. Komarovsky, warns parents about this.

For the treatment of children and adults, disinfectants or phage-based preparations are used, which are the latest generation of medical products that kill bacteria using special viruses.

The most popular treatment for staphylococcal infection is the use of immunomodulators and bacterial lysates. These drugs act like vaccines. They contain particles of killed bacteria and increase the production of antibodies to certain groups of microorganisms, including Staphylococcus aureus.

Table 1. Anti-staphylococcal drugs

Preparation	Method of application
Alcoholic solution of Chlorophyllipt 1% ​​or oily solution of Chlorophyllipt 2%	Rinse the pharynx three to four times a day, the course is 7-10 days. To disinfect the nose, the oil solution is injected into the nostrils three times a day, 3-4 drops, a course of a week.
Staphylococcal bacteriophage, solution for rinsing	Rinse the pharynx 3-4 times a day, a course of a week. Cotton balls soaked in a bacteriophage are placed in the nose for 15-20 minutes.
IRS 19	Spray, contains fragments of streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus. The medicine can be used to prevent nasopharyngeal infections in adults and children, starting from the age of three months. The spray is injected into both nostrils 2-4 times a day, the course is 8-10 days. For prevention, 2 daily injections are made for a month.
Broncho-Munal	Bacterial immunomodulator available as an oral solution. Take on an empty stomach in the morning one capsule for 10-30 days. Assigned to adults. The child can be used from 6 months.
Imudon	Anti-inflammatory anti-infective drug that stimulates the immune system. Assign to adolescents and children over 3 years. Dosage – 8 tablets per day every two to three hours, the course of treatment is 10 days. For prevention – 6 tablets per day every 3-4 hours, the course of treatment is 20 days.
Bactroban	Ointment for lubricating tampons. The active substance mupirocin is an antibiotic effective against staphylococci and streptococci. The tampon is inserted into the nose for 15-20 minutes twice a day, the course is 5 days. Suitable for adults and children over 12 years old.

It is not recommended to simultaneously use bacteriophage and alcohol nose drops Chlorophyllipt. The alcohol will kill the phages and the expensive drug will lose its effectiveness.

Folk methods

Staphylococcus aureus is insensitive to the strongest antibiotics, but it dies even in a weak solution of any aniline dye. The most popular aniline dye in home first aid kits is the usual brilliant green.

After cutting the skin, do not forget to treat the wound with a solution of brilliant green – this will prevent the appearance of suppuration caused by staphylococci and other microorganisms.

Cleaning of staphylococci in the throat and nasal passages with the help of brilliant green is not practiced, since the drug burns the mucous membranes and is unsafe when it enters the gastrointestinal tract. Against settled in the nose and throat of Staphylococcus aureus in folk medicine, other methods are practiced.

Propolis tincture (bee glue) is known for its strong antimicrobial properties. It kills bacteria, boosts the immune system and mobilizes the body’s natural defenses.

Preparation:

1. Propolis is cut into small pieces and poured with alcohol, cognac or vodka (bee glue does not dissolve in water).
2. Pour into a dark glass bottle and leave in a cool, dark place for 48 hours.

The agent is used for gargling with tonsillitis, sinusitis, sinusitis (if these diseases are caused by staphylococcal infection). Adults can not only gargle, but also take the tincture inside a teaspoon 3 times a day before meals.

Decoction of medicinal herbs – the composition of the collection includes plants with immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and disinfectant properties: meadowsweet, hops, calamus root, chamomile, mint, oregano, fireweed, dill seed, echinacea.

Preparation:

1. Measure out 2 teaspoons of all ingredients (the herbs must be dried.
2. Mix well.
3. Pour two tablespoons of the mixture of herbs with a liter of boiling water.
4. Keep in a thermos for 10 hours
5. Drink 0.5 cup 3 times a day before meals, course 1-3 months.

Comfrey and burdock tincture, preparation:

1. Mix dried burdock and comfrey leaves in equal parts.
2. Pour a liter of boiling water over a third of a glass of the mixture, leave for 15 minutes.
3. Strain, take one glass 3 times a day.

Duration of the course – until recovery or relief of symptoms.

Is it possible to save yourself?

It is almost impossible to prevent infection with Staphylococcus aureus. This microbe is everywhere. Especially a lot of bacteria that are not sensitive to antibiotics and disinfectants accumulate in medical hospitals. There, they not only do not die after sanitation of the premises, but also show moderate growth. While in the hospital, it is necessary to observe personal hygiene: wash hands thoroughly, immediately treat wounds and scratches with brilliant green and seal them with adhesive tape.

Even family members should not use the same razor or towel in everyday life. Cover your mouth with a tissue or flexed elbow when coughing and sneezing, especially if you know you have MRSA.

Staphylococcus aureus carriers can work, raise families, and lead normal lives while interacting socially with others. The only restriction is that such people cannot work in medical institutions, hospitals, nursing homes.

So, Staphylococcus aureus is a type of bacteria common in nature. Microbes can be on the skin of a person or in his nasopharynx. Most of the world’s population are carriers of these microorganisms – permanent or temporary. In a healthy person, a staphylococcal infection does not manifest itself in any way. With a decrease in immunity, microorganisms become the cause of chronic inflammatory diseases of the nasopharynx. If it turns out that the cause of sinusitis, rhinitis, tonsillitis or adenoiditis is a staphylococcal infection, the doctor will treat these diseases with medication.

Video from Dr. Komarovsky about staphylococcal infections:

Treatment of sinuses and Staphylococcus aureus in Kaliningrad

Treatment of the nose is one of the main areas of work of the ENT. The Potocki Clinic in Poland has everything you need to deal with such pathologies as deviated septum, polyps, etc. It is in the treatment of the nose that surgical techniques are most widely used.

Symptoms of nasal diseases are most often associated with infectious or allergic causes . It can also be various neoplasms, as well as accumulations of fluid or mucus in the sinuses. To accurately identify the sources of the disease, you should undergo a complete examination at the ENT. You can make an appointment for diagnostics in our clinic in Kaliningrad by phone: +7 (921) 262-29-59.

Diseases of the nose and their treatment

There are several types of common pathologies that we offer treatment:

• vasomotor rhinitis;
• chronic sinusitis;
• nasal polyps;
• deviated septum;
• staphylococci.

Each of these diseases causes breathing problems (chronic nasal congestion), pain, malaise, loss of smell and many other unpleasant consequences up to the external change in the shape of the nose. In this case, drug treatment often does not give a significant result.

The Potocki Clinic in Poland has modern hardware and surgical equipment that allows for minimally invasive and effective treatments for the treatment of sinuses . Recovery from such operations does not take much time. Almost always, patients leave the clinic on the day of surgery and, after following the doctor’s recommendations, return to their normal routine within a few days.

Treatment of staphylococcus in the nose

Laura’s help may also be needed in the fight against staphylococcus aureus. It is curious that these bacteria accompany a person all his life. They manifest themselves only during periods of weakened immunity, serious inflammatory processes and nasal injuries.

Staphylococcus aureus is particularly dangerous. Usually this type of bacteria is not present in the body. It enters it from the outside and is capable of provoking severe inflammation. It is not only about rhinitis, otitis or tonsillitis. All adjacent respiratory organs are affected and diseases such as:

• bronchitis are caused;
• tracheitis;
• adenoiditis;
• sinusitis.

Under the most unfavorable scenarios, in the absence of diagnosis and treatment of Staphylococcus aureus, the bones, heart, kidneys, and brain are affected. The bacterium is especially dangerous for the elderly and children.