A specific, drug-resistant strain of staph bacterium known as MRSA has been in the news since October, when a federal study determined that it is more common than had been thought.

Question: What is staph?

Answer: Staphylococcus aureus are a group of generally harmless. bacteria. They typically are present in at least 25 percent of the American population, usually on the skin or in the nose.

Q: Do staph cause infections?

A: Sometimes they do. Staph are among the most common causes of minor skin infections (such as pimples and boils) in the U.S. Occasionally they are serious - such as infections at surgical wounds or in the bloodstream, and pneumonia.

Q: How are they treated?

A: Minor staph infections do not call for antibiotics; antibacterials or antimicrobials do the job. Serious infections require drugs - the class known as antibiotics.


Q: What is MRSA?

A: About 1 percent of the population carries staph that have developed resistance to certain antibiotics. Like other staph, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, often live in the nose, throat and skin without causing infection. But if it gets into the body, typically through a cut or scrape, it can cause potentially serious infections.


Q: What are symptoms of an MRSA infection?

A: MRSA should be suspected in skin or soft-tissue infections that are swollen, inflamed and painful. In the beginning, such infections might resemble a pimple or boil; many are initially mistaken for spider bites. If an MRSA infection becomes invasive and potentially serious, symptoms can include fever, chills and shortness of breath. An MRSA infection can be, confirmed only through a skin or blood culture, and requires treatment with several antibiotics.


Q: How is it transmitted?

A: MRSA is most often spread by skin-to-skin contact, contact with a contaminated surface or through the sharing of personal items such as towels and razors.

Q: How can MRSA be prevented?

A: Vigorous and frequent hand-washing is the most effective way to stop MRSA transmission. Cuts and scrapes should be kept clean and covered with a bandage until healed. Health experts also discourage the sharing of personal items. Read more . . .

Q: How about antibacterials?

A: The overuse of antibiotics for decades in both animals and people is known to have speeded up the evolution of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Although the evidence implicating milder antibacterial products is not as clear, many scientists believe that their use contributes to growing resistance. For that reason, they discourage the use of antibacterials except in situations (hospitals, for example) where the risk is especially high.