Community Acquired Methicillin-resistant Staph aureus

Community Acquired Methicillin-resistant staph aureus (MRSA)

MRSA has been called a “superbug” because the original germ has changed (mutated) and become resistant to the penicillin family of antibiotics (methicillin-resistant).  Staphylococcus aureus is a germ that normally lives on human skin.  It’s considered a normal flora (germ).  When the staph germ changed, the penicillin type antibiotics would no longer cure it and the scientists named it methicillin-resistant staph aureus (MRSA). 

For years MRSA was considered a hospital acquired infection.   Progress has been made; the number of hospital acquired MRSA infections decreased by 28% from 2005 through 2008.  During the decade of 1997 to 2007, the rates of MRSA bloodstream infections decreased by almost 50%. 

http://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/statistics/index.html

A few years ago, MRSA infections began to show up in people who had no recent contact with  healthcare facilities.  This became known as community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA).

The CA-MRSA infections are usually skin infections.   The rate of CA-MRSA is rising.  What can you do to protect yourself and your family from CA-MRSA?  More tomorrow.