Most Staphylococcus aureus infections are skin infections, including:

boils (pus-filled infections of hair follicles),

abscesses (collections of pus in pockets under the skin),

styes (infection of glands in the eyelid),

carbuncles (large pus-filled lumps under the skin)

cellulitis (infection of the skin and the fat and tissues that lie immediately beneath it), and

impetigo (a highly contagious skin infection that produces pus-filled blisters).

You should keep an eye on minor skin problems like spots, cuts or burns. If you have a wound that becomes infected you should see your doctor.

An MRSA-infected wound will become red, swollen and tender, with yellow pus seeping from it. Skin ulcers, such as pressure ulcers, are often sites of infection.

If MRSA bacteria enter into the bloodstream from your skin, they can affect almost any part of the body. They can cause:

septicaemia (blood poisoning),

septic shock (widespread infection of the blood that leads to a fall in blood pressure and organ failure),

severe joint problems (septic arthritis),

bone marrow infection (osteomyelitis),

internal abscesses anywhere within the body,

meningitis,

pneumonia, or

infection of the heart lining (endocarditis).

MRSA will not normally infect a healthy person. Although it is possible for people outside hospital to become infected, MRSA infections are most common in people who are already in hospital because:

They often have an entry point for the bacteria to get into their body, such as a surgical wound, a catheter or an intravenous tube. For example, if a patient colonised with MRSA bacteria touches their wound or catheter tube, they may infect themselves.

They tend to be older, sicker and weaker than the general population, which makes them more vulnerable to infection.

They are surrounded by a large number of other patients and staff, so the bacteria can spread easily.

MRSA bacteria are usually spread through skin-to-skin contact with someone who has an MRSA infection or who is colonised by the bacteria.

The bacteria can also spread through contact with towels, sheets, clothes, dressings or other objects that have been used by someone colonised or infected with MRSA.

During bed making, for example, skin scales from an infected or colonised person may become airborne and contaminate nearby surfaces.

MRSA can survive for long periods on objects or surfaces such as door handles, sinks, floors and cleaning equipment.
MRSA can then be transferred to the hands of healthcare workers, which is why it's important that staff wash their hands before and after treating patients.

MRSA infections are diagnosed by testing blood, urine or a sample of tissue from the infected area for the presence of MRSA bacteria. If MRSA bacteria are found, further tests will be done to see which antibiotics the bacteria do not have resistance to, and so which can be used to treat them.

Many hospitals now test everyone who is being admitted to see if they are colonised with MRSA. Swabs from the skin and nose, urine and blood samples may be tested for the bacteria. It can take 3-5 days for the results to come back.

If you are colonised with MRSA you will still be admitted, but doctors may give you treatment to reduce or remove the MRSA bacteria.

Bacterial infections are treated with antibiotics. However, MRSA bacteria are resistant to meticillin (a type of penicillin antibiotic), and usually to some of the other antibiotics that are normally used to treat S. aureus infections. Therefore MRSA infections are more difficult to treat than other bacterial infections.

Antibiotics can still be used to treat MRSA, but you may need a much higher dose over a much longer period, or treatment with an antibiotic to which the bacteria is not resistant.

Healthcare staff, patients and hospital visitors can take simple hygiene measures, such as regular hand washing, to help prevent the spread of MRSA and stop infection.

Most MRSA infections can be treated with the following antibiotics:

vancomycin or teicoplanin, which are normally given via an injection or intravenously (through a tube straight into your vein), or

 linezolid, which can be given into a vein or swallowed.

You will usually require treatment in hospital. You may be moved to a single room or to a room with others who have the bacteria, to stop the MRSA spreading. Some people will need to continue treatment for several weeks at home.

Hospital staff, patients and hospital visitors can take simple hygiene measures to help prevent the spread of MRSA and stop infection.

Hospital staff who come into contact with patients should maintain very high standards of hygiene and take extra care when treating patients with MRSA:

 Staff should thoroughly wash and dry their hands before and after caring for a patient, touching any potentially contaminated equipment or dressings, after bed making, and before handling food.

Hands can be washed with soap and water or, if they are not visibly dirty, a fast-acting antiseptic solution like an alcohol rub or gel.

Disposable gloves should be worn when staff have physical contact with open wounds; for example when changing dressings, handling needles or inserting an intravenous drip, or when staff have the potential to have contact with blood or body fluids. Hands should be washed after gloves are removed.

The hospital environment, such as floors, toilets and beds, should be kept as clean and dry as possible.

Patients with a known or suspected MRSA infection should be isolated.

Patients should only be transferred between wards when this is strictly necessary.

The aim is to reduce the chance of patients infecting themselves and others.

Hospital patients can reduce their risk of infection by taking the following sensible precautions:

Making sure they have soap, a flannel and moist hand wipes, as well as their own razor

Always washing their hands after using the toilet or commode

Always washing their hands or cleaning them with a hand wipe immediately before and after eating a meal

Making sure their bed area is regularly cleaned and any unclean toilet or bathroom facilities reported to staff

Patients should also advise nursing staff if they are concerned about their wounds, or their intravenous cannulae site (drip site) becomes sore or inflamed

MRSA does not usually harm healthy people; for example, it cannot harm pregnant women, children or babies, providing they are fit and healthy. Therefore, if you have an MRSA infection, you will still be able to have visitors as normal.

However, it is essential that all visitors wash their hands thoroughly before and after visiting.

Visitors can reduce the chance of spreading MRSA to other people if they do not sit on the bed and if they clean their hands before and after entering the ward. They should use alcohol gel before touching the person they are visiting.

Dispensers of alcohol gel or hand rub are often placed by patients' beds and at the entrance to clinical areas.

If you have an MRSA infection and someone who is at increased risk wishes to visit you in hospital, you should ask the hospital staff for advice before they visit.

References

The information on this page has been adapted by MRSA Action UK from original content supplied by NHS Choices

NHS Choices: Symptoms of MRSA infection
NHS Choices: Treating MRSA infection

Health Protection Agency:
MRSA information for patients in hospital