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Health Advisory: MRSA Infections

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) Infections

This notice is being distributed in response to questions on campus about Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA).  For more detailed information about MRSA, see Antibiotic-Resistant Staph Infections (MRSA).

Common sense tips regarding MRSA

1. MRSA skin and soft tissue infections in otherwise healthy non-hospitalized persons are very treatable.  Persons with non-healing “sores” on their skin should be seen by their primary health care provider.
2. In the outpatient setting, MRSA is transmitted by skin-to-skin contact with an open skin wound infected with MRSA.  It can also be transmitted by sharing towels, washcloths, clothing, razors, athletic uniforms (e.g., gym clothes) with a person who has an open wound infected with MRSA.
3. Public Health – Seattle King County (PH-SKC) recommends that surfaces contaminated by the wound can be cleaned with a disinfectant (such as 1 Tbsp bleach in 1 quart of water).  This should not be used on people or on their skin.  See also: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) Fact Sheet (Public Health Seattle King County)
4. To prevent spread, a person should have any wound covered with a bandage until the wound has healed.  A person with a covered MRSA wound is not a threat to co-workers.
5. If a wound infected with MRSA cannot be covered, then the infected person should not have direct contact with other persons until the wound is healed.
6. Building and office decontamination is NOT necessary unless the infected uncovered wound has come in contact with workplace equipment.  In this case the “contaminated” office equipment should be cleaned with a disinfectant, as described in #3 above.
7. Simple hand washing with soap and water for 15 seconds can prevent MRSA:  WASH YOUR HANDS FREQUENTLY
8. MRSA pneumonia is usually a disease of hospitalized patients, however MRSA pneumonia can occur when healthy persons get influenza ("the flu"):  GET YOUR INFLUENZA VACCINE

How can I prevent the spread of MRSA?

Public Health Seattle King County provides this helpful fact sheet for preventing the spread of MRSA: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) Fact Sheet.

Good handwashing and keeping your environment clean (clean surfaces with dilute bleach solutions) are two easy ways to prevent MRSA infections.   Also, it is important to get your influenza vaccine ("flu shot") this year since staphylococcal pneumonia is sometimes a side effect of influenza. MRSA (methicilllin resistant staphylococcal infection) pneumonia can be extremely serious.  For more information on influenza, see Influenza: Protect Yourself from the Flu! Get a Flu Shot.

What are the causes of MRSA?

MRSA is most likely the result of:

1. Excessive use of antibiotics in our society. This is why your health care provider doesn’t write for antibiotics for the common cold or other viral diseases. 
2. Antibiotics in food and water, due to giving unnecessary antibiotics to animals.  This is why many consumers look for the “no antibiotic use” label on animal and dairy products.
3. Bacteria mutation.  Bacteria are very adaptable and for survival change in ways that prevent common antibiotics from killing them.

More detailed information

For those wanting more statistical information, the following U.S. statistics are posted on the CDC web site:

• 32% (89.4 million persons) of the population is colonized with S. aureus
• 0.8% (2.3 millions persons) of the population is colonized with MRSA
• The proportion of health care-associated staphylococcal infections in intensive-care units (serious invasive in-patient disease) due to MRSA has been increasing:
  • 1974: 2%
  • 1995: 22%
  • 2004: 64%
• Each year an estimated 292,000 hospitalizations occur with a diagnosis of S. aureus infection in hospitals. Approximately 126,000 hospitalizations are related to MRSA.
• From 2001 to 2003, there were 12 million outpatient visits for suspected S. aureus skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs).
• In 2004, approximately 76% of pus-containing skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) treated in emergency departments were caused by S. aureus.  MRSA accounted for 59% of all SSTIs.
  • 7% of MRSA infections result in serious invasive disease
  • Serious invasive MRSA infections occur in 94,000 persons annually, associated with 19,000 deaths.
  • 86% are health care associated
  • 14% are community associated

Conclusion

For healthy persons who are not hospitalized, MRSA is a concern however this is not the killer bug that the media has portrayed.

• Wash your hands frequently to prevent skin spread of MRSA
• Get your influenza vaccine to prevent MRSA pneumonia
• When faced with a co-worker, family member, or patient with MRSA first use common sense.
• Covered wounds are not at risk for spreading MRSA unless a co-worker is helping to change the dressing.
• Decontamination of surfaces is necessary only if the open wound has come in contact with the surfaces.

For more information

Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) (Public Health Seattle-King County)

MRSA (MedlinePlus)

Influenza: Protect Yourself from the Flu! Get a Flu Shot (Hall Health)

Authored by: Jean Haulman, M.D. 
Last updated: 3/17/09