MRSA methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), or
"staph," is a bacterium found in the nose or on the skin of
approximately 20-30% of the U.S. population. It causes diseases ranging
from mild to severe skin and soft tissue infections to more serious
invasive diseases such as blood stream infections, pneumonia and toxic
shock syndrome. Although most infections are treated successfully with
antibiotics, some cases result in significant injury or death.
MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) refers to S.
aureus strains that are resistant to certain antibiotics. MRSA
emerged in U.S. hospitals in the 1960s and is now the most common
drug-resistant organism found in hospital settings. According to
national hospital surveys, MRSA represented two percent of all S. aureus
infections in hospitals in 1975, 35% in 1991, and 64% in 2003.
There are two main types of MRSA. Healthcare-associated (HA) MRSA is
found primarily in hospital patients and long-term care residents. In
contrast, community-associated (CA) MRSA occurs in persons who report no
contact with healthcare facilities.
Learn more about MRSA and how to prevent transmission in health care
settings and in the community by clicking on the links below.
MRSA information for consumers
MRSA information for health professionals
MRSA information for schools
- Guidelines
for controlling CA MRSA transmission among students and athletes
(PDF,
76KB)
Recommendations such as hand and personal hygiene,
screening athletes for skin infections, and protecting skin from
injury are presented as ways to help reduce community associated
MRSA skin infections in school settings and among athletes.
- Slide presentation on CA MRSA
guidelines for students and athletes (PPT,
558KB)
A PowerPointŪ presentation is available to educate
students, sports team members, coaches, school administrators,
school nurses, and parents on the guidelines for preventing
community associated infections in schools and among sports team
members.
- Community
associated MRSA patient pamphlet (PDF, 95KB)
Patient information and prevention tips are found in this pamphlet. Health
care providers and local public health agencies can use this
pamphlet to provide patients with general community associated MRSA
information and prevention tips.
For information about MRSA in your community, please contact
your local health department
Additional information
For MRSA Information
Gwen Borlaug Infection Control Epidemiologist
WI Division of Public Health
Bureau of Communicable Diseases
608-267-7711 Phone
608-261-4976 Fax
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Last Revised: February 10, 2009 |