Taking a Look at Staphylococcus Aureus

Describe methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and its implications for patients who are diagnosed with this.

The main hospital strains are already partially or fully resistant to the effects of commonly used antibiotics. Resistance is also emerging to last resort drugs like vancomycin. The more virulent community strains of MRSA are infiltrating hospitals while the more resistant hospital strain is leaking into the community. The history of MRSA as described in Superbug shows how quickly bacteria can evolve when we add a strong selective force like antibiotics. Around the world, species of bacteria are becoming “superbugs” that are resistant to conventional treatments. Pharmaceutical companies are cutting research on new antibiotics in favor of more profitable investments. We are quickly running out of options for treating multi-drug resistant bacteria. As we move toward a “post-antibiotic” world, there are valuable lessons to be found in the history of MRSA, one of the first superbugs. Students in Emerging Diseases should read Superbug to learn about the complex emergence of

This paper explores the study of an unknown bacterial culture. The bacterium were randomly assigned in a double blinded fashion to alleviate scientific or experimental error in determining their gram stain, morphology, arrangement, and scientific classification. There were eight unknown bacterial cultures given, with the unknown bacterial culture being one of the eight bacterial cultures. A myriad of tests and experiments were performed on the unknown bacteria in order to be able to properly classify it. One of the first experiments that was performed was the gram stain. It was determined to be gram positive. The arrangement of the unknown bacteria was also noted on the gram positive slide. The slide showed grape like

In the research, fourteen patients in Los Angeles contracted the MRSA necrotizing fasciitis strain. Most of the patients reported having some type of a preexisting condition, like hepatitis C or a history of intravenous

Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus also referred to as MRSA is a type bacterium that becomes immune to many antibiotics used to treat even the most common infection. MRSA has become an issue in hospitals around the globe as it is known to constanly change over time. Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus (MRSA) usually occurs in day care home, hospitals and other related health care facilities. It was reported that in 2005 the majority of all infection related cases came from an antibiotic-resistant bacterium, resulting in a high rate of death (Tacconelli, et al 2007). In 1961 (Enright, et al 2002) methicillin-resistant staphylococcus (MRSA) was first discovered in the United Kingdom and later made its way to Asia and after to the United States.

Before the discovery of penicillin, infection with S. aureus had a fatality rate of approximately 70%. After penicillins discovery and development, treatment of S. aureus infections became routine resulting in the death rate falling to 25%.5 However, penicillin use provided an inadvertent selection pressure which resulted in the bacteria mutating and becoming resistant to its effects. The penicillin-resistant S. aureus strains produced enzymes known as penicillinases which break penicillin down. In 1959, the antibiotic methicillin was developed to battle penicillin-resistant S. aureus infections. At first it was effective, but with increasing use of methicillin S. aureus once again acquired resistance through the process of natural selection

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterium that is responsible for several infections in humans like pneumonia, bloodstream infection, etc. Methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus was first identified among hospitalized patients in 1960s. MRSA is any strain of Staphylococcus aureus developed through the process of natural selection and resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics like penicillins (methicillin, dicloxacillin, nafcillin, oxacillin, etc.) and the cephalosporins. It is of huge concern in hospitals, prisons, and nursing homes, where the patients are at high risk due to open wounds, invasive devices, and weakened immune systems. MRSA infections that occur in hospitals are known as Hospital Associated MRSA (HA-MRSA).

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or more commonly, MRSA, is an emerging infectious disease affecting many people worldwide. MRSA, in particular, is a very interesting disease because although many people can be carriers of it, it generally only affects those with a depressed immune system; this is why it is so prevalent in places like nursing homes and hospitals. It can be spread though surgeries, artificial joints, tubing, and skin-to-skin contact. Although there is not one specific treatment of this disease, there are ways to test what antibiotics work best and sometimes antibiotics aren’t even necessary.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a drug resistant pathogen abundant in healthcare settings and the second most common overall cause of healthcare associated infections (HAIs) reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) (Jernigan & Kallan, 2010). The prevalence of MRSA is a significant problem found amongst many Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in the United States (US); critically ill patients are at higher risk for hospital-acquired infections. Acquisition and infection of MRSA may significantly prolong duration of hospital stays, increase healthcare costs, and contribute to higher mortality rates. According to national data, MRSA accounts for nearly 70 percent of Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from

Before the turn of the 21st century, physicians across the country were realizing that the possibility of being able to treat and cure virtually any microbial infection with the use of a single or a combination of antimicrobial medications was becoming more and more of a challenge. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, reports of pathogenic resistance to even the most potent antimicrobial medications of the time were being sent to the Centers for Disease Control. Among even the most dangerous pathogens that have developed and are developing drug resistance to one or many antimicrobials, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is perhaps a case in which the world is most familiar and of the greatest concern within the medical community due to its natural virulence-its ability to cause a multitude of life-threatening infections, and its above average ability to combat and adapt to a vast array of environmental conditions.

In conclusion, the importance of control and prevention in the spread of MRSA cannot be emphasised enough. MRSA clearly

MRSA, or methacillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus, is a staph infection that is resistant to many antibiotics that are used to cure staph infections. According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, MRSA is the most common cause of skin infections and in some cases if not treated can become as severe as sepsis which can be life threatening. (Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, 2016, Para 1) MRSA is spread from skin to skin contact and once it has infected the host, and becomes more severe it has the ability to spread into the bloodstream, joints, bones and even organs. Severe cases of MRSA are typically seen in health care facilities. (Jatin M. Vyas, 2016, Para 4) Along with improper hand hygiene being a mode of transmission, patients are also able to contract the infection by coming in contact with contaminated bed linens, the bed or medical equipment.(CDC, 2016, Para

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been a type of multidrug resistant organism and staph bacteria known to cause serious infection that can lead to long hospitalizations and death. It can begin as a simple infection on skin or in the lungs, and if left untreated, can lead to traveling to the bloodstream and causing sepsis (“Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), 2015”). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 33 percent of individuals carry the staph bacteria intranasally and two percent of individuals carry MRSA (“Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), 2015”). Even though this is a serious issue among healthcare settings all over the country, the number of people affected

In 2007, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections and Clostridium difficile infections were recorded as the underlying cause of, or a contributory factor in, approximately 9000 deaths in hospital and primary care in England[3]. Since 2006 there has been an 18-fold reduction

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] (2016) "MRSA can cause severe problems such as bloodstream infections, pneumonia and surgical site infections. If not treated quickly, MRSA infections can cause sepsis and death” (para. 1). Elderly and individuals with depleted immunity (Mayo Clinic, 2016), patients in intensive care units (ICUs) where the antibiotic resistance and antibiotic use are the highest (Ma et al., 2015, p. 1), nursing home (NH) residents, and patients with indwelling devices are the most vulnerable population for the MRSA infection (Mayo Clinic, 2016). MRSA infections can put financial and physical strains to the healthcare system as observed by Hanna (2011), “MRSA costs the US healthcare system up to $34 billion a year and accounts for over 8 million additional hospital