MRSA: all you need to know
What is Staph Aureus? Staphylococcal aureus is a bacterium carried harmlessly on the skin and in the nose by 30 per cent of people.
It is a common cause of skin infections. But people who have had recent surgery or a major illness are at risk of developing a serious staph aureus infection in the bloodstream.
What is Methicillin Resistant Staph Aureus (MRSA)? Methicillin is a form of penicillin, developed to treat penicillin resistant forms of staph aureus.
By the 1960s, however, versions of the bug that were resistant to methicillin appeared. The term methicillin resistant staph aureus was coined and continues to be used to describe antibiotic resistant variants of the microbe.
Is MRSA a superbug? No, contrary to popular belief it is not a superbug. It is a difficult infection to treat, but that is different to a superbug, which is a bacterium that is highly infectious.
The term resistant bug would be more appropriate.
How can it be treated? The patient must be isolated in a side room away from others and special nursing procedures used. First-line treatment is with an antibiotic called vancomycin.
Resistance to this drug may also occur, however, in which case a new antibiotic, linesolid, will be prescribed.