Marion Regional Healthcare System

Health Shorts

MRSA

Don’t Blame MRSA on Your Pet 

Although about one percent of Americans are carriers of MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus), these bacteria are rarely found on domestic pets unless they have acquired it from their owners. Reports from other countries such as Canada and Denmark have found pigs to carry MRSA, and there is a relatively higher incidence of MRSA infections among pig farmers.  [SOURCE: Susan Sanchez, “What are the risks of contracting MRSA from domesticated animals?” Medscape Infectious Diseases, May, 2008]

MRSA Carriers at Long-Term Risk 

Many individuals are carriers of MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) bacteria without having an active infection. A study that followed 281 subjects identified as MRSA-positive between 2002 and 2005 found that these individuals remained at substantial risk of MRSA-related illness or death. The risk was higher among subjects who were simply carrying the bacteria rather than among those who had been treated for a symptomatic infection. [SOURCE: Scott Baltic, “Risk of infection, death from MRSA persists in long-term carriers,” Reuters Health, July 25, 2008, from Clinics in Infectious Diseases 2008;47:176-181]

MRSA Increasing Rapidly–Why?

A study conducted at a large public hospital in Chicago found a seven-fold increase in cases of community-acquired MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureur) from 2000 to 2005. During that same period, there was no increase in the rate of community-acquired staph infections that were not drug resistant. The researchers do not know why the incidence of MRSA has increased so dramatically. The hospital in which the study was conducted, however, serves a population that includes persons living in public housing and those who have recently spent time in jail. [SOURCE: Miranda Hitti, “MRSA Rising: Who’s at Risk?” WebMD Medical News, May 28, 2007; B. Hota, Archives of Internal Meldicine, May 28, 2007]

MRSA Infections and the Five C’s  

MRSA skin infections can occur anywhere, but risk factors include the five C’s:  

• Crowding, 

• Contact (skin-to-skin),

 • Cuts, abrasions and compromised skin, 

• Contaminated surfaces and 

• lack of Cleanliness. 

These factors are often found in schools, day care centers, camps, dormitories, military barracks and prisons. [SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control, “Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in schools,” October, 2007]

MRSA More Prevalent Than Thought 

Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is 8 to 11 times more prevalent than previously believed and may be infecting 30,000 hospital patients in the United States, according to a survey conducted by infection control professionals in October and November of 2006. About 34 per 1,000 patients were infected and an additional 12 per 1,000 were colonized by this bacterial strain that is immune to most commonly used antibiotics.  [SOURCE: Mike Stobbe, “Staph Superbug May Be Infecting Patients,” AP Health, June 25, 2007, paper presented at annual meeting of Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, June, 2007]

MRSA Strikes Quickly, Often Fatal 

MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) usually starts as a small skin lesion that appears to be a pimple or insect bite. Yet within a year, according to a Canadian study, 20 percent of patients with community acquired MRSA infections were dead. Subjects in the study, conducted from 2001 to 2004, were all 18 years of age or older and none had been in the hospital in the previous two years. After one year, 21.8 percent of MRSA patients had died, compared to five percent in the non-MRSA control group. The Centers for Disease Control estimated that there were 94,360 invasive infections and 18,650 deaths from MRSA in the United States in 2005. [SOURCE: “Community-acquired MRSA often fatal,” Reuters Health, February 19, 2008; from BMC Medicine 2008;6]

MRSA: Who’s at Risk? 

MRSA (methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus), a strain of staph that’s immune to the effects of most commonly used antibiotics, was until recently found mostly in hospitals and nursing homes. Over the past decade, cases of MRSA acquired in the community have become increasingly common.  Community-acquired MRSA is often found among persons who live and work in close proximity. Clusters of cases have been found among high school, university and professional athletes; military recruits; children in day care centers; Pacific Islanders; Alaskan Natives; Native Americans; men who have sex with men, and prisoners.  Risk factors include close skin-to-skin contact, cuts or abrasions in the skin, contaminated items or surfaces, crowded living conditions and poor hygiene. [SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control, “Community-Associated MRSA Information for the Public,” last modified February 3, 2005]