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Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a relatively common bacteria that resides on the skin and in the nostrils of up to one-third of Americans. S. aureus is also simply referred to as "staph." Sometimes, people can develop staph infections. In fact, staph is one of the most common causes of skin infections in the U.S. The majority of these infections are minor, and present as pimples, abscesses, or boils on the skin. These minor infections can typically be treated without an antibiotic. Surgical wound infections, pneumonia, and bloodstream infections are some of the serious, and even deadly, infections staph can cause. They must be treated with antibiotic therapy.
Usual antibiotic treatment for staph infections is with a class of medication known as the beta-lactams. These antibiotics consist of drugs like penicillin, amoxicillin, Augmentin®, methicillin, or cephalexin. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a mutated bacteria that does not respond to treatment with beta-lactams. This mutation used to be found only in hospitals; however, in recent years a new mutation has come about in the community and has caused significant injury in several individuals. This new mutation has been termed community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA).
CA-MRSA is different from hospital-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA). While HA-MRSA does not respond to beta-lactams, tetracyclines, Bactrim®, and clindamycin, CA-MRSA responds to all of
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those antibiotics, except beta-lactams. CA-MRSA is becoming more prevalent in the nation as time passes. In 2006 more than half of all S. aureus positive cultures in skin and soft-tissue infections were CA-MRSA. The disturbing fact is that in all reported cases, the patients appear to have no obvious risk factors for contracting CA-MRSA.
So what else do we know about CA-MRSA? Transmission of the bacteria is associated with minor skin trauma (cuts, abrasions, etc.), sharing of personal or sports equipment, and especially sharing of close quarters. Infection is also associated with younger patients; the average age being 23 years old. The majority of children (<18 years old) who have contracted CA-MRSA had some sort of underlying skin condition. The most common medical conditions occurring in adults affected with CA-MRSA are smoking, diabetes, and skin disorders.
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