What is MRSA?
MRSA is an acronym for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. This type of bacteria causes staph infections that are resistant to treatment with usual antibiotics. MRSA occurs most frequently among patients who undergo invasive medical procedures or who have weakened immune systems and are being treated in hospitals and health care facilities such as nursing homes and dialysis centers.
Staphylococcus aureus (staph) is a germ that often lives in the noses and on the skin of healthy people. Not all staph infections are resistant to antibiotics like MRSA. Staph is spread from person to person on contaminated hands, skin and objects, but not through the air. Most infections caused by staph are skin infections, which may look like a pimple or boil and can be red, swollen, painful or have pus or other drainage.
For more information about MRSA, please visit the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website.