Mrsa Carrier

A MRSA carrier is an individual who carries the MRSA bacteria on their skin. MRSA stands for methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus, which is more commonly called staph. The only difference between regular staph and MRSA is that MRSA is resistant to antibiotic treatment. Your doctor can perform a swab of your nose to detect MRSA. If you have skin lesions, boils or bumps your doctor can take a culture of the suspicious area. A MRSA carrier may not have any symptoms of the bacterial infection.

If this type of staph is detected, there are several courses of action your doctor may take. He or she may do nothing if you are not experiencing symptoms of infection. Symptoms include skin lesions which can become abscessed and allow the infection to reach the bloodstream. In the earliest stages, MRSA looks a lot like acne, a spider bite, or a boil. This is the best time to seek treatment because your doctor can head the infection off before it gets serious. Once MRSA has reached the bloodstream, it becomes life-threatening.

There are certain groups of people who are more likely to get MRSA than others. People with lowered immune systems may be more susceptible. Health care workers, school children, nursing home residents and team athletes are all at a higher risk. Although MRSA cannot spread through the air, it can be passed from person to person in other ways. Sharing showers, towels, razors, and coming into skin-to-skin contact with infected individuals can transmit this bacteria. Luckily, good preventative practices can drastically reduce the likelihood of contracting MRSA.

A MRSA carrier, or anyone else for that matter, can reduce their chances of getting this infection by practicing smart health habits. Don't share towels or washcloths with anyone. Use a new disposable razor every time you shave and don't ever use anyone else's razor. If you use a community locker room or shower, wear flip flops or water shoes. Wash your hands frequently, make use of hand sanitizers, and use a disinfecting spray like Lysol around your working and living areas. If you do get MRSA, your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic called vancomycin which has been proven effective in the majority of cases.



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MRSA News:
Switzerland of Ohio now facing MRSA
BEALLSVILLE Steps to further combat Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, better known as MRSA, have been taken in the Switzerland of Ohio Local School District where school officials were informed by a parent about a Beallsville Elementary...




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