What is MRSA?
MRSA is a type of bacteria (germ). It stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). MRSA refers to a type of S. aureus that is resistant to certain antibiotics. This means the usual antibiotics used to treat common infections may not work to treat MRSA infections..
S. aureus is a germ that normally can live on the skin and in the nose, throat and anus without causing illness. When this happens, a person is said to be colonized with S. aureus rather than infected. Colonization means the bacteria are present but not causing harm. When S. aureus does cause an infection, a common site is the skin. It can cause boils (abscesses) on any part of the body. It can also cause infected cuts and other skin infections. Other sites where it can cause infections are in the bones (osteomyelitis), joints (septic arthritis), blood (bacteremia and sepsis), lungs (pneumonia) or heart (infective endocarditis).
MRSA can be spread by unwashed hands
MRSA spreads by contact between people or by touching contaminated objects or surfaces. It can be spread from the hands of someone colonized with MRSA. Unlike respiratory viruses such as the cold or the flu, MRSA is not usually spread through the air.
People are more likely to get MRSA in hospitals or long-term care facilities
People who have been in hospitals, rehab facilities or in long-term care are more at risk of getting MRSA.
However, it is possible to become infected with MRSA outside the hospital. This is called community-acquired MRSA. Risk factors that can increase the possibility include travelling to regions with a high prevalence of MRSA, living with a person who has MRSA and exposure to crowded settings such as you would find with athletic teams, military personnel and in a daycare centre. Outbreaks can also occur in dormitories and prisons.
Diagnosing MRSA
Children with an infection such as bacteremia or an abscess may have a blood sample or a swab of the wound or pus sent for culture. If S. aureus grows in the culture, it is tested to see if it is MRSA.
Patients who are admitted to hospital may be screened for MRSA by taking swabs of the nose, the rectum and any other area of broken skin, such as a rash or cut. The swabs are then sent to the laboratory for MRSA testing.
If your child is admitted to hospital, they may be screened for MRSA if they have lived outside Canada or stayed in a hospital within the past year. Your child might have come into contact with MRSA in the country they lived in or during a hospital admission.
Sometimes, MRSA goes away. Most children who have had positive MRSA screens of their nose, for instance, have repeat negative swabs after several months.
MRSA is treated with antibiotics if it is causing an infection
If your child has MRSA, and it has caused an infection, your child will be treated with antibiotics. Skin abscesses caused by MRSA can be treated with drainage with or without antibiotics, depending on the age of the child and the severity of their symptoms. Serious infections such as sepsis, endocarditis, bone and joint infections are all initially treated with intravenous (IV) antibiotics. If your child is colonized with MRSA but it is not causing an infection no treatment is usually needed.
MRSA infections can recur. In some cases, health-care providers will try to get rid of MRSA colonization in a person who has recurrent infections using an antibiotic ointment and special skin washes. In some cases, all members of the household will also need to use the antibiotic ointment and skin washes.
You can help prevent MRSA from spreading
MRSA can be prevented in any setting by proper and regular hand washing.
MRSA can be prevented at the hospital. Both you and the health-care team treating your child can help stop MRSA from spreading:
- All staff caring for a child with MRSA in the hospital should wear gloves, a gown and a mask.
- When your child is in hospital, wash your hands before going into your child's room, after you touch your child and before you leave your child's room.
- Because you are not going to be touching other patients, you do not have to wear gloves, gowns or masks.
If your child is not staying in the hospital but needs to come back for a visit, or if your child has to visit their own doctor, tell the health-care team that your child has or has had MRSA. This will help them make decisions about the type of care your child needs.