Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a strain of S. aureus bacteria that has become resistant to specific antibiotics such as penicillin and methicillin, and is most recently acquiring resistance to other antibiotics such as vancomycin. MRSA is prominently widespread in hospital settings where it is transmitted through physical contact with an infected person, but it has also become more common throughout communities. It is predominantly dangerous in people with weak immune systems, open wounds, cuts, or burns, and those in hospital settings. The recent emergence of community-associated methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) is becoming a considerable problem especially in dermatology practices. It is known to cause severe infections of the skin, producing redness, swelling, tenderness, pain, or abscesses, as well as more severe infections in the body such as pneumonia, septicaemia, and osteomyelitis among many others. The most effective way to prevent the spread of CA-MRSA in our communities is to ensure that people who come in contact with infected persons protect and wash their hands as well as other parts of the body immediately after interaction. Although these safety precautions may help to reduce the spread of CA-MRSA, awareness of this bacterial infection and proper prevention strategies may reduce the number of cases of CA-MRSA seen each year by dermatologists.

In the hopes of raising awareness of CA-MRSA, the University of Miami Skin Research Group has recently conducted a statewide questionnaire for dermatologists in Florida about the recent emergence of CA-MRSA. This questionnaire may be expanded nationwide in the future, in order to obtain more information about dermatologists’ awareness of CA-MRSA. Please continue to check our website for more information about upcoming studies on CA-MRSA.