These infections may look like any one of the following: Large, red, painful bumps under the skin called boils or abscesses A cut that is swollen, hot and filled with pus Blisters filled with pus called impetigo Sores that look and feel like spider bites However, MRSA is not caused by a spider bite or any other insect bite. Anyone can get MRSA. You can get MRSA by touching someone or something that has the bacteria on it and then touching your skin or your nose.
Some ways that you could get MRSA: Touching the infected skin of someone who has MRSA Using personal items of someone who has MRSA, such as towels, wash cloths, clothes or athletic equipment Touching objects, such as public phones or door knobs, that have MRSA bacteria on the surface and then touching your nose or an open sore, paper cut, etc. When the skin gets damaged staph bacteria can enter and increase your risk for infection. There are two ways you can have MRSA.
You can have an active infection. An active infection means you have symptoms. This is usually a boil, a sore, or an infected cut that is red, swollen, or pus-filled. You can be a carrier. If you are a carrier you do not have symptoms that you can see, but you still have MRSA bacteria living in your nose or on your skin. If you are a carrier, your doctor may say that you are colonized. Many people with active infections are treated effectively, and no longer have MRSA.
However, sometimes MRSA goes away after treatment and comes back several times. If MRSA infections keep coming back again and again, your doctor can help you figure out the reasons you keep getting them. If you have ever had an active MRSA infection or you are a carrier, you should tell your health care providers. They will wash their hands and wear gloves when caring for you. This can start with a small bump that looks like a pimple or acne, but that quickly turns into a hard, painful red lump filled with pus or a cluster of pus-filled blisters.
Not all boils are caused by MRSA bacteria — other kinds may be the culprit. Rely on a professional to drain a boil. Do not try to squeeze it or drain it yourself. If a minor skin injury starts to hurt — a lot, much more than seems normal — be on the lookout. Cellulitis is a deep skin infection caused by staph or streptococcus strep bacteria, including MRSA.
During treatment, you may need to stay in your own room or in a ward with other people who have an MRSA infection to help stop it spreading. You can normally still have visitors, but it's important they take precautions to prevent MRSA spreading. If you're staying in hospital, there are some simple things you can do to reduce your risk of getting or spreading MRSA. If you're visiting someone in hospital, clean your hands before and after entering the ward and before touching the person.
Gel or wipes are often placed by patients' beds and at the entrance to wards. It's also a good idea to put a dressing over any breaks in your skin, such as sores or cuts, to stop MRSA getting into your body. Get more advice about visiting someone in hospital.
This video explains how MRSA is caught, what happens when you have it and how to prevent infection. Page last reviewed: 24 March Next review due: 24 March You can get MRSA on your skin by: touching someone who has it sharing things like towels, sheets and clothes with someone who has MRSA on their skin touching surfaces or objects that have MRSA on them Getting MRSA on your skin will not make you ill, and it may go away in a few hours, days, weeks or months without you noticing.
The bacteria are generally harmless unless they enter the body through a cut or other wound, and even then they usually cause only minor skin problems in healthy people. MRSA is the result of decades of often unnecessary antibiotic use. For years, antibiotics have been prescribed for colds, flu and other viral infections that don't respond to these drugs.
Even when antibiotics are used appropriately, they contribute to the rise of drug-resistant bacteria because they don't destroy every germ they target. Bacteria live on an evolutionary fast track, so germs that survive treatment with one antibiotic soon learn to resist others.
Because hospital and community strains of MRSA generally occur in different settings, the risk factors for the two strains differ. MRSA infections can resist the effects of many common antibiotics, so they're more difficult to treat. This can allow the infections to spread and sometimes become life-threatening. MRSA infections may affect your:. Visitors and health care workers caring for people in isolation may need to wear protective garments.
They also must follow strict hand hygiene procedures. For example, health care workers can help prevent HA-MRSA by washing their hands with soap and water or using hand sanitizer before and after each clinical appointment.
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