A: MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a strain of staph that resists certain types of antibiotics related to penicillin. Staph bacteria commonly exist as colonies in the nose or on the skin of about 25 to 30 percent of healthy people. Infection occurs when staph bacteria enter the bloodstream through a preexisting break in the skin. Symptoms include fatigue and fever and are often accompanied by skin indicators such as pimples (whiteheads), boils or rashes. These dermal abnormalities may be itchy, warm, swollen or red, and often contain pus. Occasionally, staph infections develop into more serious infections such as surgical wound infections, bloodstream infections and pneumonia.
Staph spreads relatively easily through skin-to-skin contact that includes handshakes or athletic activity (especially contact sports such as wrestling and rugby). Staph can also spread through shared towels, soap or equipment such as gym mats.
But there is hope in sight, since much can be done to prevent a staph infection.
First (and most importantly), make sure to wash your hands regularly with soap and warm water or hand sanitizer. We suggest washing your hands long enough to sing "Happy Birthday" or go through the alphabet in your head (or aloud!). Just a little splash won't do the trick in preventing staph!
Second, cover scrapes or wounds with a protective bandage until they have healed. Covering wounds is important because staph enters the body at sites of broken skin. Similarly, you should prevent your skin from becoming dry or cracked by moisturizing regularly.
Third, avoid contact with wounds or cuts on other people.
Fourth, avoid sharing towels, washcloths, toothbrushes and razors, as these personal items often spread staph from one person to another. Razors create tiny cuts in the skin, especially around sensitive areas such as the pubic region. Shaving your pubic hair increases the risk of staph infection in that area.
Although natural hair growth is the safest tack for preventing pubic staph, waxing is a slightly safer alternative to shaving. Because they are less likely to be noticed, staph infections in the pubic region increase the risk of more serious infections.
If you are worried that you may have a staph infection, see a health care provider to get tested. Your doctor will swab the infected area with a Q-Tip and send the sample to a laboratory to test for infection. That test will determine whether or not you have staph. A second test will indicate whether the strain of staph is MRSA. Staph can also be detected in blood and other bodily fluids.
If you have staph, your doctor will likely recommend antibiotics. It is very important to take the full course of antibiotics, even if symptoms improve before the antibiotics are finished.
Most MRSA infections require good wound care, which involves keeping the infected area clean and dry, carefully disposing of bandages and most importantly, washing your hands after contact with the wound.
MRSA is resistant to antibiotics. However, that is not to say that if your doctor recommends antibiotics it is wise to refuse them. MRSA should not be taken lightly. Causing 94,000 serious infections and 19,000 deaths annually, MRSA has a higher annual death toll than AIDS in the U.S. If you suspect you have a staph infected wound, we urge you to consult a health care provider and begin treatment before the infection becomes more serious.