1. MRSA Slideshow Pictures
2. Take the MRSA Quiz!
3. Staph Infection Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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In this Article

• MRSA infections facts
• What is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)?
• What does a MRSA infection look like?
• What are the signs and symptoms of MRSA infection?
• How is MRSA infection transmitted or spread?
• How is MRSA diagnosed?
• How can people prevent MRSA infection?
• How should caregivers treat MRSA patients at home?
• What is the prognosis (outlook), and what are the potential complications for people with MRSA infections?
• What is the treatment for MRSA infection?
• What is a "superbug"?
• Where are other MRSA information sources?
• Pictures of MRSA - Slideshow
• Take the MRSA Quiz!
• Pictures of Staph Infection - Slideshow
• MRSA Infection FAQs
• Patient Comments: MRSA - Describe Your Experience
• Patient Comments: MRSA -Treatment
• Find a local Infectious Disease Specialist in your town
• MRSA Infection Index

The CDC states (2010 guidelines) that healthy caregivers are unlikely to become infected while caring for MRSA patients at home if they do the following:

• Caregivers should wash their hands with soap and water after physical contact with the infected or colonized person and before leaving the home.



• Towels used for drying hands after contact should be used only once.



• Disposable gloves should be worn if contact with body fluids is expected, and hands should be washed after removing the gloves.



• Linens should be changed and washed on a routine basis, especially if they are soiled.



• The patient's environment should be cleaned routinely and when soiled with body fluids.



• Notify doctors and other health-care personnel who provide care for the patient that the patient is colonized or infected with a multidrug-resistant organism.

Statistics from the Kaiser foundation in 2007 (http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=45809) indicated that about 1.2 million hospitalized patients have MRSA, and the mortality (death) rate was estimated to be between 4%-10%. These data have not been updated by the CDC yet. Another study suggested that the mortality rate may be as high as 23%. In general, the average adult death rate was about 5% of infected patients in 2010. Fortunately, in children under 18 years of age, a recent (2009) study suggests their mortality rate is much lower (about 1%), even though the number of hospitalized children with MRSA has almost tripled since 2002. In general, CA-MRSA has far less risk of any complications than HA-MRSA as long as the patient does well with treatment and does not require hospitalization. However, people who do suffer complications generally have a chance for a worse outcome, as organ systems may be irreversibly damaged. Complications from MRSA can occur in almost all organ systems; the following is a listing of some that can result in permanent organ damage or death: endocarditis, kidney or lung infections (pneumonia), necrotizing fasciitis, osteomyelitis, and sepsis. Early diagnosis and treatment usually result in better outcomes and reduction or elimination of further complications.