36 Mrsa Case Study

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is similar to regular hospital acquired MRSA in that it is resistant to cefazolin and antibiotics similar to cefazolin. However, it differs from MRSA in that it doesn't display MRSA’s common risk factors, and is susceptible to other various antibiotics.

Methicillin Staphylococcus aureus is defined as strains of bacteria that are resistant to beta-lactam agents, including the synthetic penicillins (eg, methicillin, oxacillin) and the cephalosporins. MRSA can resist the effects of many common antibiotics, so it is difficult to treat. If the infection spreads to the blood stream and becomes systemic may increases risk for life threatening complications. First sign of MRSA are small red bumps that resemble pimples, boils or spider bites. Next they may mature into deep and painful abscesses that require surgical draining. If the bacteria is not confined to the skin and infect the blood stream, causing potentially fatal infections in bones, joints, surgical wounds, the bloodstream, heart valves and lungs.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, is a bacterium that is resistant to many available high- level beta-lactam antibiotics, which include penicillins, “antistaphylococcal” penicillins and cephalosporins. Staphyloccoci are the most important bacteria that cause disease in humans. MRSA is sometimes branded as a nosocomial infection as it usually plagues patients that are receiving treatment in a hospital. The skin is the most common site of infection, where MRSA can cause cellulitis, folliculitis, or boils in the skin, but can also commonly be found in the nose, underarm, groin, upper respiratory tract, intestine, vagina and rectal areas of the body. MRSA infections occur with there is a break in the skin that allows the Methicillin resistant

MRSA is spread by contact, so for example, touching another person who has it on the skin, or by touching objects the bacteria has transferred to. These particular infections are frequent amongst those with weak immune systems and those in hospitals, nursing homes, care centers, etc., because the superbugs crop up around surgical wounds or invasive devices such as catheters or implanted feeding tubes. The

MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) is one of the most recent superbugs to become a health problem. MRSA is a species of Staphylococcus Aureus that is resistant to the antibiotic methicillin and antibiotics like it. Doctors are struggling to find proper treatment because of its resistance to the beta-lactam ring, the core of most antibiotics. The most lethal strain is the CC398 strain, most commonly found on livestock. There are approximately 80,000 invasive MRSA infections and 11,000 deaths every year. (CNN.com)

MRSA(Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a bacteria that is resistant to most of all antibiotics. Staff germs are more often spreaded by touching. When the staff germs enter the body it can afffect bones, joints, the blood, or any organ. So if you get MRSA it is very important to get it checked on before it get out of hand. If you have a weak immune system your more than likely to get it.

Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive coccal bacterium which is estimated to have colonised 20-30% of the human population.1,2,3 S. aureus is normally found in the anterior nares and mucous membranes of these individuals. For the majority, this is not a problem as these people are colonised, not infected.2,3 However S. aureus is an opportunistic pathogen and if it contaminates a breach in the skin or mucous membranes, it can go on to infect any tissue in the body.3 Infection may lead to serious life threatening diseases such as pneumonia.4 Over time strains of S. aureus were able to develop resistance to antibiotics, resulting in strains known as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Risk factors of CA-MRSA include: skin-to-skin contact with an infected person, loss of integrity allowing penetration of bacteria into the body, contact with contaminated items and surfaces, crowded living conditions, sharing personal items, poor hygiene, having a history of ectopic dermatitis, and exposure to family members or friends who work in a health care setting. Also, there are a number of risk factors for CA-MRSA among student athletes including: playing close contact sports, receiving a skin abrasion and trauma, a high BMI, participating in cosmetic body shaving, coming into contact with a draining lesion or is a carrier of MRSA, and sharing contaminated equipment (Alex & Letizia,

The most important type of isolation required for MRSA is what is called Contact Isolation. This type of isolation requires everyone in contact with the patient to be very careful about hand washing after touching either the patient or anything in contact with the patient. In addition the patients notes should be clearly labelled “MRSA” so that this type of accommodation is provided if and when they are admitted to hospital in the future.

Staphylococcus aureus is a gram-positive coccal bacterium that is a member of the Firmicutes, and is frequently found in the nose, respiratory tract, and on the skin. It is often positive for catalase and nitrate reduction. Although S. aureus is not always pathogenic, it is a common cause of skin infections such as abscesses, respiratory infections such as sinusitis, and food poisoning. Pathogenic strains often promote infections by producing potent protein toxins, and expressing cell-surface proteins that bind and inactivate antibodies. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of S. aureus such as Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is a worldwide problem in clinical medicine.

The results from the identification tests all indicates that the isolated species is S. aureus, except for the Bacitracin test. According to the literature, S. aureus should be resistant to Bacitracin and that result is a way of separating Staphylococcus from Micrococcus (Basey & Perkins, 2016). However, some strains isolated were susceptible to Bacitracin. It is possible that Micrococcus could have grown in the M-Staphylococcus broth, but all the other result identifying the strain as S. aureus makes this possibility highly unlikely. More possibly, it could be that some strains of S. aureus are Bacitracin susceptible. The study done by Freidlin et al. reported that a total of 63.6 % of MRSA isolates collected between 1998 and 2006 were sensitive to Bacitracin.

All the previous identified MRSA and VRSA isolates by the disc diffusion method were subjected to the graded concentration oxacillin and vancomycin antibiotic strips examination, respectively; and the obtained MICs were >256 µg/ml for both oxacillin and vancomycin against MRSA and VRSA respectively.

The isolated CN S. aureus were neither resistant to cefoxitin nor vancomycin. In contrary, the cefoxitin and vancomycin resistance patterns of the isolated CP S. aureus isolates referred that, out of 46 CP S. aureus, 7 (15.2%) isolates were resistant to both cefoxitin and vancomycin (MRSA + VRSA) while 12 (26%) isolates were cefoxitin resistant while were vancomycin sensitive (MRSA + VSSA) concluded that the whole CP S. aureus showing cefoxitin resistance was 19 (41.3%) which indicated MRSA percentage. On the other hand, the remaining 27 CP S. aureus isolates were sensitive to both cefoxitin and vancomycin (MSSA + VSSA) with an incidence of 58.7%. While, the whole CP S. aureus isolates showing vancomycin sensitive

The use of patient isolation and contact precautions for MRSA is a controversial issue resulting from evidence that both

As nurses, taking care of patients with MRSA can be seen in everyday practice. It can be seen in patients with sepsis from an infected wound, patients who have pneumonia, or patients who only have a colonization for it (“Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), 2015”). Regardless if it’s colonization or an active infection, and the source of the infection, proper policies and procedures are in place to reduce the transmission of MRSA to other patients in the hospital or nursing home setting. This includes performing proper hand hygiene and standard precautions, as well as wearing protective gown and gloves when entering the patient’s room. It is very important to adhere to these policies and procedures and educate others on the importance of these policies and procedures to reduce the transmission of MRSA to others.