Anyone can get MRSA. You can get MRSA by touching someone or something that has the bacteria on it and then touching your skin or your nose. Some ways that you could get MRSA: Touching the infected skin of someone who has MRSA Using personal items of someone who has MRSA, such as towels, wash cloths, clothes or athletic equipment Touching objects, such as public phones or door knobs, that have MRSA bacteria on the surface and then touching your nose or an open sore, paper cut, etc.
When the skin gets damaged staph bacteria can enter and increase your risk for infection. There are two ways you can have MRSA. You can have an active infection. An active infection means you have symptoms. This is usually a boil, a sore, or an infected cut that is red, swollen, or pus-filled. You can be a carrier. If you are a carrier you do not have symptoms that you can see, but you still have MRSA bacteria living in your nose or on your skin.
If you are a carrier, your doctor may say that you are colonized. Many people with active infections are treated effectively, and no longer have MRSA. However, sometimes MRSA goes away after treatment and comes back several times.
If MRSA infections keep coming back again and again, your doctor can help you figure out the reasons you keep getting them. If you have ever had an active MRSA infection or you are a carrier, you should tell your health care providers. They will wash their hands and wear gloves when caring for you. They may also wear a gown over their clothes and may wear a mask.
This card alerts staff to use extra care to prevent the spread of MRSA. Your visitors may be instructed to avoid touching infected skin and to take other precautions such as wearing gloves or gowns when visiting you. Is there a test for MRSA? You would not usually be tested for MRSA unless you have an active infection.
If you have a skin infection, your doctor may take a sample of the area to find out what bacteria is causing your infection. This is called taking a culture.
If you have a bump or infection on your skin with the above symptoms: See a doctor. Do not pick at or pop the sore. Cover the area with clean, dry bandages. Clean your hands often. Cutaneous abscess on leg View image 5. Get Email Updates.
To receive email updates about this page, enter your email address: Email Address. What's this? The infection usually causes a swollen, painful bump to form on the skin. The bump may resemble a spider bite or pimple. It often has a yellow or white center and a central head.
Sometimes an infected area is surrounded by an area of redness and warmth, known as cellulitis. Pus and other fluids may drain from the affected area. Some people also experience a fever. Diagnosis begins with a medical history assessment and physical examination.
Samples will also be taken from the site of infection. The types of samples obtained to help diagnose MRSA include the following:. Wound samples are obtained with a sterile cotton swab and placed in a container. Sputum is the substance that comes up from the respiratory tract during coughing. A sputum culture analyzes the sputum for the presence of bacteria, cell fragments, blood , or pus.
People who can cough can usually provide a sputum sample easily. Those who are unable to cough or who are on ventilators may need to undergo a respiratory lavage or bronchoscopy to obtain a sputum sample. Respiratory lavage and bronchoscopy involve the use of a bronchoscope, which is a thin tube with a camera attached.
Under controlled conditions, the doctor inserts the bronchoscope through the mouth and into your lungs. The bronchoscope allows the doctor to see the lungs clearly and to collect a sputum sample for testing. To do this, urine is collected in a sterile cup during urination. The cup is then given to the doctor, who sends it to a lab for analysis. Sometimes, urine must be collected directly from the bladder.
To do this, the healthcare provider inserts a sterile tube called a catheter into the bladder. Urine then drains from the bladder into a sterile container. A blood culture requires taking a blood draw and placing the blood on a dish in a laboratory. If bacteria grow on the dish, doctors can more easily identify what bacteria type is causing infection. Results from blood cultures typically take about 48 hours. A positive test result can indicate the blood infection sepsis.
Bacteria can enter the blood from infections located in other parts of your body, such as the lungs , bones , and urinary tract. These infections usually require antibiotics through an IV , sometimes for long periods of time depending on the severity of your infection.
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