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Good idea. Most likely for friends also...

On Thursday, December 4, 2003, at 11:54 PM, Palazola wrote:

> MRSA is a very nasty bugger for people with CF.

> Natalia post a huge sign, very visible, wash hands it prevents

> complications! in big letters and red.  Same thing with the hospital

> room.

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> > > MRSA - Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

> > > Fact Sheet 

> > >

> > > 

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > 

> > > The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has received

> > > inquiries about infections with antibiotic-resistant

> > Staphylococcus

> > > aureus (including methicillin-resistant S. aureus [MRSA]) among

> > > persons who have no apparent contact with the healthcare system.

> > This

> > > fact sheet addresses some of the most frequently asked questions.

> > >

> > > What is Staphylococcus aureus?

> > >

> > > Staphylococcus aureus, often referred to simply as " staph, " are

> > > bacteria commonly carried on the skin or in the nose of healthy

> > > people. Occasionally, staph can cause an infection; staph

> bacteria

> > > are one of the most common causes of skin infections in the

> United

> > > States. Most of these infections are minor (such as pimples and

> > > boils) and most can be treated without antibiotics (also known as

> > > antimicrobials or antibacterials). However, staph bacteria can

> > also

> > > cause serious infections (such as surgical wound infections and

> > > pneumonia). In the past, most serious staph bacteria infections

> > were

> > > treated with a certain type of antibiotic related to penicillin.

> > Over

> > > the past 50 years, treatment of these infections has become more

> > > difficult because staph bacteria have become resistant to various

> > > antibiotics, including the commonly used penicillin-related

> > > antibiotics (1). These resistant bacteria are called methicillin-

> > > resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.

> > >

> > > Where are staph and MRSA found?

> > >

> > > Staph bacteria and MRSA can be found on the skin and in the nose

> > of

> > > some people without causing illness. Top

> > >

> > > What is the difference between colonization and infection?

> > >

> > > Colonization occurs when the staph bacteria are present on or in

> > the

> > > body without causing illness. Approximately 25 to 30% of the

> > > population is colonized in the nose with staph bacteria at a

> given

> > > time (2).

> > > Infection occurs when the staph bacteria cause disease in the

> > person.

> > > People also may be colonized or infected with MRSA, the staph

> > > bacteria that are resistant to many antibiotics. Top

> > >

> > > Who gets MRSA?

> > >

> > > Staph bacteria can cause different kinds of illness, including

> > skin

> > > infections, bone infections, pneumonia, severe life-threatening

> > > bloodstream infections, and others. Since MRSA is a staph

> > bacterium,

> > > it can cause the same kinds of infection as staph in general;

> > > however, MRSA occurs more commonly among persons in hospitals and

> > > healthcare facilities.

> > > MRSA infection usually develops in hospitalized patients who are

> > > elderly or very sick or who have an open wound (such as a

> bedsore)

> > or

> > > a tube going into their body (such as a urinary catheter or

> > > intravenous [iV] catheter). MRSA infections acquired in hospitals

> > and

> > > healthcare settings can be severe. In addition, certain factors

> > can

> > > put some patients at higher risk for MRSA including prolonged

> > > hospital stay, receiving broad-spectrum antibiotics, being

> > > hospitalized in an intensive care or burn unit, spending time

> > close

> > > to other patients with MRSA, having recent surgery, or carrying

> > MRSA

> > > in the nose without developing illness (3-6).

> > >

> > > MRSA causes illness in persons outside of hospitals and

> healthcare

> > > facilities as well. Cases of MRSA diseases in the community have

> > been

> > > associated with recent antibiotic use, sharing contaminated

> items,

> > > having active skin diseases, and living in crowded settings.

> > Clusters

> > > of skin infections caused by MRSA have been described among

> > injecting

> > > drug-users (7,8), aboriginals in Canada (9), New Zealand (10) or

> > > Australia (11,12), Native Americans in the United States (13),

> > > incarcerated persons (14), players of close-contact sports

> (15,16)

> > > and other populations (17-23). Community-associated MRSA

> > infections

> > > are typically skin infections, but also can cause severe illness

> > as

> > > in the cases of four children who died from community-associated

> > MRSA

> > > (24). Most of the transmission in these settings appeared to be

> > from

> > > people with active MRSA skin infections. Top

> > >

> > > How common is staph and MRSA?

> > >

> > > Staph bacteria are one of the most common causes of skin

> infection

> > in

> > > the United States, and are a common cause of pneumonia and

> > > bloodstream infections. Staph and MRSA infections are not

> > routinely

> > > reported to public health authorities, so a precise number is not

> > > known. According to some estimates, as many as 100,000 persons

> are

> > > hospitalized each year with MRSA infections, although only a

> small

> > > proportion of these persons have disease onset occurring in the

> > > community. Approximately 25 to 30% of the population is colonized

> > in

> > > the nose with staph bacteria at a given time (2). The numbers who

> > are

> > > colonized with MRSA at any one time is not known. CDC is

> currently

> > > collaborating with state and local health departments to improve

> > > surveillance for MRSA. Active, population-based surveillance in

> > > selected regions of the United States is ongoing and will help

> > > characterize the scope and risk factors for MRSA in the

> community.

> > Top

> > >

> > > Are staph and MRSA infections treatable?

> > >

> > > Yes. Most staph bacteria and MRSA are susceptible to several

> > > antibiotics. Furthermore, most staph skin infections can be

> > treated

> > > without antibiotics by draining the sore. However, if antibiotics

> > are

> > > prescribed, patients should complete the full course and call

> > their

> > > doctors if the infection does not get better. Patients who are

> > only

> > > colonized with staph bacteria or MRSA usually do not need

> > treatment.

> > > Top

> > >

> > > How are staph and MRSA spread?

> > >

> > > Staph bacteria and MRSA can spread among people having close

> > contact

> > > with infected people. MRSA is almost always spread by direct

> > physical

> > > contact, and not through the air. Spread may also occur through

> > > indirect contact by touching objects (i.e., towels, sheets, wound

> > > dressings, clothes, workout areas, sports equipment) contaminated

> > by

> > > the infected skin of a person with MRSA or staph bacteria. Top

> > >

> > > How can I prevent staph or MRSA infections?

> > >

> > > Practice good hygiene

> > >

> > > 1. Keep your hands clean by washing thoroughly with soap and water

> > >

> > > 2. Keep cuts and abrasions clean and covered with a proper

> > dressing

> > > (e.g., bandage) until healed

> > >

> > > 3. Avoid contact with other people's wounds or material

> > contaminated

> > > from wounds.

> > >

> > > What should I do if I think I have a Staph or MRSA infection?

> > >

> > > See your healthcare provider.

> > >

> > > What is CDC doing to address MRSA in the community?

> > >

> > > CDC is concerned about MRSA in communities and is working with

> > > multiple partners on prevention strategies.

> > >

> > > CDC is working with 4 states in a project to define the spectrum

> > of

> > > disease, determine populations affected, and developing studies

> to

> > > define who is at particular risk for infection

> > > CDC is working with state health departments to assist in the

> > > development of surveillance systems for tracking MRSA in the

> > > community

> > > CDC is using the National Health and Nutritional Evaluation

> Survey

> > > (NHANES) to estimate the number of individuals in the United

> > States

> > > who carry staph bacteria in their nose

> > > CDC works with laboratories across the country to improve the

> > > detection of MRSA through training personnel and use of

> > appropriate

> > > testing methods

> > > CDC provides technical expertise to hospitals and state and local

> > > health departments on infection control in healthcare settings,

> > > including control of MRSA

> > > CDC laboratories are working to characterize the unique features

> > of

> > > MRSA strains from the community.

> > > Top

> > >

> > >

> > > References:

> > > 1. Lowry FD. Staphylococcus aureus infections. New England

> Journal

> > of

> > > Medicine. 1998;339:520-32.

> > > 2. Kluytmans J, Van Belkum A, Verbrugh H. Nasal carriage of

> > > Staphylococcus aureus: epidemiology, underlying mechanisms, and

> > > associated risks. Clin Microbiol Rev. 1997;10:505-20.

> > > 3. Boyce JM. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

> > Detection,

> > > epidemiology, and control measures. Infect Dis Clinics of North

> > Am.

> > > 1989;3:901-13.

> > > 4. Herwaldt LA. Control of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus

> > > aureus in the hospital setting. Am J Medicine. 1999;106:11S-18S;

> > > discussion 48S-52S.

> > > 5. Asensio A, Guerrero A, Quereda C, Lizan M, ez-Ferrer M.

> > > Colonization and infection with methicillin-resistant

> > Staphylococcus

> > > aureus: associated factors and eradication. Infec Control Hosp

> > > Epidemiol. 1996;17:20-8.

> > > 6. Mulligan ME, Murray-Leisure KA, Ribner BD, et al. Methicillin-

> > > resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a consensus review of the

> > > microbiology, pathogenesis, and epidemiology with implications

> for

> > > prevention and management. Am J Medicine. 1993;94:313-28.

> > > 7. Saravolatz LD, Markowitz N, Arking L, Pohloh D, Fisher E.

> > > Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Epidemiologic

> > > oberservations during a community-acquired outbreak. ls of

> > > Internal Medicine. 1982;96:11-16.

> > > 8. CDC. Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus

> > > aureus infections—Michigan. MMWR. 1981;30:185-7.

> > > 9. Embil J, Ramotar K, Romance L, et al. Methicillin-resistant

> > > Staphylococcus aureus in tertiary care institutions on the

> > Canadian

> > > prairies 1990-1992. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology

> > 1994;

> > > 15:646-51.

> > > 10. Rings T, Findlay R, Lang S. Ethnicity and methicillin-

> > resistant

> > > S. aureus in South Auckland. New Zealand Medical Journal 1998;

> > > 111:151.

> > > 11. Maguire GP, Arthur AD, Boustead PJ, Dwyer B, Currie BJ.

> > Emerging

> > > epidemic of community-acquired methicillin-resistant

> > Staphylococcus

> > > aureus infection in the Northern Territory. Medical Journal of

> > > Australia 1996; 1996; 164:721-3.

> > > 12. Collignon P, Gosbell I, Vickery A, Nimmo G, Stylianopoulos T,

> > > Gottlieb T. Community-acquired methicillin-resistant

> > Staphylococcus

> > > aureus in Australia. Australian Group on Antimicrobial

> Resistance.

> > > Lancet 1998; 352:145-6.

> > > 13. Groos A, Naimi T, Wolset D, - K, K, Cheek

> J.

> > > Emergence of community-acquired methicillin-resistant

> > Staphylococcus

> > > aureus in a rural American Indian community (Abstract 1230), 39th

> > > Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and

> > > Chemotherapy, San Francisco, CA, 1999.

> > > 14. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus skin or soft

> > tissue

> > > infections in a state prison—Mississippi, 2000. MMWR 2001 Oct.

> 26.

> > 50

> > > (42); 919-922.

> > > 15. Lindenmayer JM, Schoenfeld S, O'Grady R, Carney JK.

> > Methicillin-

> > > resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a high school wrestling team

> > and

> > > the surrounding community. Archives of Internal Medicine 1998;

> > > 158:895-9.

> > > 16. Stacey AR, Endersby KE, Chan PC, Marples RR. An outbreak of

> > > methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in a rugby

> > > football team. British Journal of Sports Medicine 1998; 332: 153-

> 4.

> > > 17. Kallen AJ, Driscoll TJ, Thornton S, Olson PE, Wallace MR.

> > > Increase in community-acquired methicillin-resistant

> > Staphylococcus

> > > aureus at a Naval Medical Center. Infection Control and Hospital

> > > Epidemiology 2000; 21: 223-6

> > > 18. Hussain FM, Boyle-Vavra S, Bethel CD, Daum RS. Current trends

> > in

> > > community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus at

> > a

> > > tertiary care pediatric facility. Pediatric Infectious Disease

> > > Journal 2000; 19: 1163-6.

> > > 19. Feder HM, Jr. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

> > > infections in 2 pediatric outpatients. Archives of Family

> Medicine

> > > 2000; 1163-6.

> > > 20. Goetz A, Posey K, Fleming J, et al. Methicillin-resistant

> > > Staphylococcus aureus in the community: a hospital-based study.

> > > Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology 1999; 20: 689-91.

> > > 21. AL, Marcinak JK, Mangat PD, Schreckenberger PC.

> > Community-

> > > acquired and clindamycin-susceptible methicillin-resistant

> > > Staphylococcus aureus in children. Pediatric Infectious Disease

> > > Journal 1999; 18:993-1000.

> > > 22. Price MF, McBride ME, Wolf JE, Jr., Prevalence of methicillin-

> > > resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a dermatology outpatient

> > > population. Southern Medical Journal 1998: 91:369-71.

> > > 23. Herold BC, Immergluck LC, Maranan MC, et al. Community-

> > acquired

> > > methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in children with no

> > > identified predisposing risk. JAMA 1998; 279:593-8.

> > > 24. From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Four

> > > pediatric deaths from community-acquired methicillin-resistant

> > > Staphylococcus aureus—Minnesota and North Dakota, 1997-1999. JAMA

> > > 1999; 282: 1123-5

>

>

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> -------------------------------------------

> The opinions and information exchanged on this list should IN NO WAY

> be construed as medical advice.

>

> PLEASE CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN BEFORE CHANGING ANY MEDICATIONS OR

> TREATMENTS.

>

> ------------------------------------

>

>

>

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