MRSA Infection: Symptoms, Risks & Testing

MRSA, sometimes called the "super bug," is a hard-to-treat bacteria. Symptoms depend on what part of the body has the infection, although it usually causes mild skin infections. Most infections are not serious, but some are life threatening.

MRSA

• MRSA, or Methicillin-resistant Staphylocccus aureus, are strains of the Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria that are resistant to certain antibiotics. Besides skin infections, MRSA causes lung, bone and heart infections.

MRSA Screen

• An MRSA screen is a test that looks only for the MRSA bacteria. It is used to identify MRSA in a patient or if bacteria are still present in a wound.

Nasal Swab

• A nasal swab is collected from the nostrils of the patient and cultured (spread on a special gel, incubated and examined). Sometimes a swab is collected from the wound site of a previously treated MRSA patient.

Blood Test

• The BD GeneOHm StaphSR assay tests blood samples from a person thought to have MRSA. The test delivers results in about two hours.

Considerations

• MRSA infections are most common in people with weakened immune systems. It is also common to see MRSA infections in hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities.