MRSA

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Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA); Hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA)

Follow these steps to avoid MRS infections and prevent it from spreading:

• Keep your hands clean by washing them thoroughly with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage until they heal.
• Avoid contact with other people's wounds or bandages.
• Avoid sharing personal items such as towels or razors.

Some simple steps for athletes include:

• Cover all wounds with a clean bandage, and avoid contact with soiled bandages from other people.
• Clean your hands before and after playing sports. Shower right after exercising and do not share soap or towels with other people.
• If you share sporting equipment, clean it first with antiseptic solution and then use clothing or a towel between your skin and the equipment.
• Avoid common whirlpools or saunas if another participant has an open sore. Always use clothing or a towel as a barrier.
• Avoid sharing splints, bandages, or braces.
• Make sure that shared bathing facilities are clean.

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Wash your hands often, especially if you are visiting someone in a hospital or long-term care facility.

When visiting MRSA patients, follow the facility's visitor policies. Casual contact -- such as kissing, hugging, and touching--is usually okay. Avoid touching catheters or wound sites. Wash your hands before leaving an infected person's room.

Make sure all doctors, nurses, and other health care providers wash their hands before examining you.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. Accessed April 17, 2011.

Que YA, Moreillon P. Staphylococcus aureus (including staphylococcal toxic shock). In: Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R, eds. Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2009:chap 195.

Review Date: 06/09/2011
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Jatin M. Vyas, PhD, MD, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).