Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistance

MRSA

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is a form of contagious bacterial infection. People sometimes call it a superbug because it is resistant to numerous antibiotics. In healthy people, MRSA does not usually cause a severe infection, but older people, individuals with health conditions, and those with a weakened immune system may be at risk. MRSA is a common and potentially serious infection that has developed resistance to several types of antibiotics. These include methicillin and related antibiotics, such as Penicillin, Vancomycin, and Oxacillin. This resistance makes MRSA difficult to treat.

Most MRSA infections occur in people who've been in hospitals or other health care settings, such as nursing homes and dialysis centers. When it occurs in these settings, it's known as health care-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA). HA-MRSA infections typically are associated with invasive procedures or devices, such as surgeries, intravenous tubing or artificial joints. Another type of MRSA infection has occurred in the wider community among healthy people. This form, community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA), often begins as a painful skin boil. It's spread by skin-to-skin contact.