My Sister-In-Law Has MRSA

[BeachGirlFLA]

She went in to the hospital for a spider bite and it turned out she has MRSA instead. They operated on her and she came through the surgery pretty well, although they had to cut more out than they thought they would. She has diabetes, which also complicates things (according to my niece...I don't know anything about MRSA.)

 

[Sheree Bobbins]

My mom had complications from her heart surgery due to diabetes. It affected her legs badly. In the convalescent home there are 2 patients who lost a leg due to a spider bite. I bet it was MRSA too.

Hugs to your SIL. I hope she'll be fine. They do have to watch for diabetic complications.

 

[disney1990]

A coworker of mine was bitten by a spider and developed MRSA too.

She is now recovered, but it took months.

 

[BeachGirlFLA]

Thanks. I'm definitely worried about her. I hate when there's something wrong with anyone in my family (and it's worse when you don't know anything about the illness, although I did look it up and try to learn at least a little bit about it.)

 

[lsyorke]

MRSA infections look like spider bites, but the reality is that most are just MRSA infections. A small cut in the skin can become infected with MRSA.The good news is that community acquired MRSA is easily treatable.

 

[WDWBarb]

I just recovered from a MRSA infection. It was treated unsuccessfully for a week or so and then the test results came back and showed it was it was sensitive to a pretty common antibiotic.

This is a good thing, since I am allergic to many antibiotics. Recovery was very quick after that.

It was yucky and nerve-wracking but, in the end, it ended up being no big deal. They probably wanted to remove the surrounding tissue to stop the spread of infection and that's why they operated.

The doctor told me I should be very thankful that I went in early to have it checked or it could have been much worse (it was on my face.... ugh).

Lesson learned - ANYthing that looks infected, go see the doctor....

 

[wdwfan16]

I hope your aunt recovers quickly.

 

[DebbieB]

A coworker's wife recently battled MRSA. She got a shot in her foot for pain, the doctor did not wipe it with alcohol first, it got infected. She had to be cut twice and was off work for almost 8 weeks (unpaid). She had IV's at home. It was a real mess and there was concern she would lose her foot.

 

[Anne MN]

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterium responsible for difficult-to-treat infections in humans. It may also be referred to as multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (ORSA). MRSA is by definition a strain of Staphylococcus aureus that is resistant to a large group of antibiotics called the beta-lactams, which include the penicillins and the cephalosporins.

MRSA has evolved an ability to survive treatment with beta-lactam antibiotics, including methicillin, dicloxacillin, nafcillin, and oxacillin. MRSA is especially troublesome in hospital-associated (nosocomial) infections. In hospitals, patients with open wounds, invasive devices, and weakened immune systems are at greater risk for infection than the general public. Hospital staff who do not follow proper sanitary procedures may transfer bacteria from patient to patient. Visitors to patients with MRSA infections or MRSA colonization are advised to follow hospital isolation protocol by using the provided gloves, gowns, and masks if indicated. Visitors who do not follow such protocols are capable of spreading the bacteria to cafeterias, bathrooms, and elevators.


This one is worse!!



Vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) is the name given to a group of bacterial species of the genus Enterococcus that is resistant to the antibiotic vancomycin.[1] Enterococci are enteric and can be found in the digestive and urinary tracts of some humans. VRE was discovered in 1985[2] and is particularly dangerous to immunocompromised individuals. VRE species have an enhanced ability to pass resistant genes to other bacteria. While infection of healthy individuals is uncommon, it is possible that they could be colonized with newly-resistant bacteria.

There are six different types of vancomycin resistance shown by enterococcus : Van-A, Van-B, Van-C, Van-D, Van-E and Van-F. Of these, only Van-A, Van-B and Van-C have been seen in general clinical practice so far. The significance is that Van-A VRE is resistant to both vancomycin and teicoplanin, Van-B VRE is resistant to vancomycin but sensitive to teicoplanin, and Van-C is only partly resistant to vancomycin, and sensitive to teicoplanin. In the US, linezolid is commonly used to treat VRE, as teicoplanin is not available.

VRE can be carried by healthy people who have come into contact with the bacteria. The most likely place where such contact can occur is in a hospital (nosocomial infections),

 

[lsyorke]

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterium responsible for difficult-to-treat infections in humans. It may also be referred to as multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (ORSA). MRSA is by definition a strain of Staphylococcus aureus that is resistant to a large group of antibiotics called the beta-lactams, which include the penicillins and the cephalosporins.

MRSA has evolved an ability to survive treatment with beta-lactam antibiotics, including methicillin, dicloxacillin, nafcillin, and oxacillin. MRSA is especially troublesome in hospital-associated (nosocomial) infections. In hospitals, patients with open wounds, invasive devices, and weakened immune systems are at greater risk for infection than the general public. Hospital staff who do not follow proper sanitary procedures may transfer bacteria from patient to patient. Visitors to patients with MRSA infections or MRSA colonization are advised to follow hospital isolation protocol by using the provided gloves, gowns, and masks if indicated. Visitors who do not follow such protocols are capable of spreading the bacteria to cafeterias, bathrooms, and elevators.

This information is correct for hospital acquired MRSA.
There is also community acquired MRSA that is sensitive to Bactrim, Doxycycline, Clindamycin and a few others. While both forms are MRSA, they are usually treated with different antibiotics. The main thing for treatment of CA-MRSA is to drain the infection...this is a key part of treatment.

 

[Christine]

MRSA infections look like spider bites, but the reality is that most are just MRSA infections. A small cut in the skin can become infected with MRSA.The good news is that community acquired MRSA is easily treatable.

That's sort of what I heard too. The patients don't *really* get bitten by a spider and then it turns to MRSA, correct? They just think they have, when it was really MRSA all along.

 

[starann]

That's sort of what I heard too. The patients don't *really* get bitten by a spider and then it turns to MRSA, correct? They just think they have, when it was really MRSA all along.

That is correct.....I am a Visiting Nurse and see cases of MRSA every week (multiple cases). I had a woman who we had to do wound packing on and she was telling me how she must have been bit by a spider cause this big bite developed and it sent her into the hospital......I had to explain to her it was NOT a spider bite but an infection caused by a break in the skin (maybe shaving since it was her legs).

Some people think MRSA is a 'dirty' infection, meaning people who get it are not clean.....NOT the case.

 

[jenrose66]

My oldest son had MRSA in his tear duct as a baby. I think he came home from the hospital with it. It was so scary, the infection progresses quickly and it was mis diagnosed at first...he could have died.

We were in the hospital 4 days, he was on some pretty heavy duty meds. After that I spent his entire babyhood worrying that every cut or antyhing was going to lead to a repeat infection.

Since my son had it, my husband also had it 3 times. I really think my son is a carrier of the stuff because besides my DH getting it my brother got a nasty case too. What happened was DS was teething and had been chewing on my brother's hand. Within a couple days his thumb swelled, he wouldn't go to the Dr. and he let a couple more days go by and his arm was hard and swollen to the elbow.

We made him go to the hospital they did surgery and it was found that he had MRSA too.

 

[jfoofj]

The MRSA that people get not in the hospital (community aquired) is a different strain than hospital aquired MRSA and more easily treated. People often come thinking they have had an insect bit and it is an MRSA infection. ANY cut on your body is susceptible so it is very important to clean every cut well. MRSA is serious, but it IS treatable... the earlier the better. It has been around for a long time (in the hospitals.... I started working in an ICU in 1995 and it wasn't uncommon then) but just in recent years has it become more prevalent in the general population and more people are hearing about it.

 

[BeachGirlFLA]

Yeah, it turns out there was no spider bite...she just thought there was. And after looking at pictures of the infection, I can see why. Thank you to everyone who has told me about the infection. It makes me feel better, especially since it's the community-acquired (and thus, the more easily treatable) type.