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Red Swollen Painful Warm to the touch Full of pus or other drainage Accompanied by a fever

If you or someone in your family experiences these signs and symptoms, cover the area with a bandage, wash your hands, and contact your doctor

You can’t tell by looking at the skin if it is a staph infection (including

Contact your doctor if you think you have an infection so it can be treated quickly

Signs of infection include redness, warmth, swelling, pus, and pain at sites where your skin has sores, abrasions, or cuts. Sometimes these infections can be confused with spider bites

Do not try to treat the infection yourself by picking or popping the sore

Cover your wounds. Keep wounds covered with clean, dry bandages until healed. Follow your doctor’s instructions about proper care of the wound. Pus from infected wounds can contain MRSA so keeping the infection covered will help prevent the spread to others. Bandages and tape can be thrown away with the regular trash. Clean your hands often. You, your family, and others in close contact should wash their hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand rub, especially after changing the bandage or touching the infected wound. Do not share personal items. Personal items include towels, washcloths, razors, clothing, and uniforms. Wash used sheets, towels, and clothes with water and laundry detergent. Use a dryer to dry them completely. Wash clothes according to manufacturer’s instructions on the label.

Treatment for MRSA skin infections may include having a healthcare professional drain the infection and, in some cases, prescribe an antibioti

MRSA is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to several antibiotics. In the general community, MRSA can cause skin and other infections. In a healthcare setting, such as a hospital or nursing home, MRSA can cause severe problems such as bloodstream infections, pneumonia and surgical site infections. For more information visit MRSA in healthcare settings.

Hospital-associated MRSA happens to people in healthcare settings. Community-associated MRSA happens to people who have close skin-to-skin contact with others

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics. In the community, most MRSA infections are skin infections. In medical facilities, MRSA causes life-threatening bloodstream infections, pneumonia and surgical site infections.

For recent MRSA treatment guidance, see Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) website.

ntibiotic treatment, if indicated, should be guided by the susceptibility

MRSA skin infections can develop into more serious infections

3 to 4 hours after eating the meal, the three adults--who had not eaten another common meal together in the preceding week--had nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps.

not become ill.

Vomiting ceased after treatment with phenothiazine,

welve cultures of S. aureus recovered from stool samples of the ill family members, food specimens, and nasal swabs of the food preparers were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for further testing.

This strain produced staphylococcal enterotoxin C and was identified as being MRSA.

esistant to penicillin and oxacillin

wo different strains of S. aureus recovered from the nasal swab of food preparer B

She reported no recent gastrointestinal illness nor chronic health problems, history of admission to a hospital, or use of antibiotics in the previous 6 months.

visit an elderly relative, who resided in a nursing home, approximately 2 to 3 times each month before the outbreak.

positive for two different strains of MSSA, but not MRSA

Staphylococcal food poisoning is estimated to account for 185,000 foodborne illnesses per year in the United States;

, MRSA has been considered primarily a health- care-associated pathogen, causing invasive disease in which multidrug resistance poses a substantial challenge to successful treatment.

s 20% to 40% of adults are estimated to be colonized at any time, a

MRSA becomes increasingly common in the community

Dr. Robert Daum, a researcher at the University of Chicago

CA-MRSA is transferred from the initial infected person to other members

Two clinical trials are underway to define the optimal treatment for skin and soft tissue infections caused by CA-MRSA.

HA-MRSA is acquired in the hospital setting and is one of many hospital-acquired infections exhibiting increased antimicrobial resistance

increased during the past decade due to a number of factors including an increased number of immunocompromised and elderly patients; an increase in the number of invasive procedures, e.g., advanced surgical operations and life support treatments; and failures in infection control measures such as hand washing prior to patient contact and removal of non-essential catheters.

CA-MRSA is caused by newly emerging strains unlike those responsible for HA-MRSA and can cause infections in otherwise healthy persons with no links to healthcare systems.

typically occur as skin or soft tissue infections, but can develop into more invasive, life-threatening infections.

occurring with increasing frequency in the United States

tends to occur in conditions where people are in close physical contact, such as athletes involved in football and wrestling, soldiers kept in close quarters, inmates, childcare workers, and residents of long-term care facilities.

During the past four decades, a type of bacteria has evolved from a controllable nuisance into a serious public health concern.

HA-MRSA has increased during the past decade due to a number of factors including an increased number of immunocompromised and elderly patients; an increase in the number of invasive procedures, e.g., advanced surgical operations and life support treatments; and failures in infection control measures such as hand washing prior to patient contact and removal of non-essential catheters.

normal for healthy people to have staph on their skin. Many of us do.

sign of a staph skin infection is a red, swollen, and painful area on the skin. Pus or other fluids may drain from this area. It may look like a boil. These symptoms are more likely to occur if the skin has been cut or rubbed, because this gives the MRSA germ a way to "get in."

These staph infections may be in the bloodstream, heart, lungs or other organs, urine, or in the area of a recent surgery. Some symptoms of these severe infections include:Chest painCough or shortness of breathFatigueFever and chillsGeneral ill feelingHeadacheRashWounds that do not heal

cotton swab is used to collect a sample from an open skin rash or skin sore. Or, a sample of blood, urine, sputum (spit), or pus from an abscess may be collected. The sample is sent to a lab to test for staph and MRSA. If MRSA is found, it will be tested to see which antibiotic should be used to treat your infection.

Do not try to pop open or drain the infection yourself. Keep any sore or wound covered with a clean bandage.

Outlook (Prognosis) Expand Section How well a person does depends on how severe the infection is, and the person's overall health. Pneumonia and blood infections due to MRSA are linked with high death rates.

Prevention Expand Section Follow these steps to avoid a staph infection and to prevent an infection from spreading:Keep your hands clean by washing them thoroughly with soap and water. Or, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with bandages until they heal.Avoid contact with other people's wounds or bandages.Do NOT share personal items such as towels, clothing, or cosmetics.

Cover wounds with a clean bandage. Do NOT touch other people's bandages.Wash your hands well before and after playing sports.Shower right after exercising. Do NOT share soap, razors, or towels.If you share sports equipment, clean it first with antiseptic solution or wipes. Place clothing or a towel between your skin and the equipment.Do NOT use a common whirlpool or sauna if another person with an open sore used it. Always use clothing or a towel as a barrier.Do NOT share splints, bandages, or braces.Check that shared shower facilities are clean. If they are not clean, shower at home.