by C. Lyn Walter

Created on: November 08, 2008   Last Updated: August 19, 2010

Staphylococcus Aureus or “Staph” is a bacterium found on the skin and sometimes in the nasal passages of more than  25 per cent of the population, according to the Centers for Disese Control and Prevention.  Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is a Multi-drug Resistant Organism, meaning the bacteria has developed resistance to many current antibiotic drug therapies. Many people carry these bacteria on their skin with no visible signs or symptoms of infection, such as redness, swelling or discharge; this condition is referred to as colonization. Infection occurs when there is a portal of entry allowing the bacteria to invade the tissues.

Penicillin was the antibiotic used to treat staph infections for years but over time, the bacteria developed resistance and a newer drug, Methicillin, became the drug of choice for Staph infections. Over the years even more antibiotic resistance has developed for many reasons, including indiscriminant use. MRSA is not usually referred to as a Super Bug in the medical community; the name may have come into use based on the fact that the antibiotic treatment options for Multi-drug Resistant Organisms are more limited than those for non-resistant organisms.      

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC) health-care settings contribute to MRSA and other organism colonization and infection because they are easily transmitted from one patient to another on the hands of health-care workers. Health care facilities stress preventing transmission of MRSA and other pathogens by practicing good hand hygiene in between every patient contact. This is accomplished by washing with soap and water or using alcohol sanitizers, if hands are not visibly contaminated with body fluids.

MRSA infections have also been reported in conjunction with contact sports; the CDC reports this is a result of skin to skin contact, traumatic injuries and abrasions which allow skin colonized or infected with MRSA to be transferred from one person to another. Maintaining good general skin hygiene practices protects the average person from skin infections. Should there be signs and symptoms of infection such as redness, pain, swelling or a draining wound, medical consultation should be sought

According to the CDC, many Multi-drug Resistant Organisms are the result of over prescription. Pressuring physicians for antibiotics when he or she does not think they are

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