Treatment of MRSA

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Treatment depends on two factors:

What antibiotic resistance the particular strain of SA has, and
Whether you are infected, or only â€˜colonisedâ€™, with the bacteria.

If the strain of SA is not resistant to Methicillin or another common antibiotic drug, you will be given these drugs, usually in tablet form.

If the infection is MRSA (that is, resistant to many common antibiotics, including Methicillin), other types of antibiotics will be given. It may be necessary to carry out lab tests on a sample of the bacteria, in order to find out which antibiotics will work on the particular strain.

People who are â€˜colonisedâ€™ with the bacteria have the MRSA germs present on the skin or nose, but they have not yet caused any harm. If you are colonised, you can infect yourself or other people, so it is important to remove the bacteria. A special antibiotic called mupirocin is usually applied to the skin or the inside of the nose to remove the bacteria. Skin and hair may be washed with special antiseptics.

You become infected with SA if the bacteria get into the body through a break in the skin. This may happen through burns, surgical wounds, or the entry point for a catheter. This is why people in hospital are more likely to get infected â€“ they are more likely to have an opening for the infection to enter the body.

Most strains of MRSA can be treated with the antibiotic, vancomycin, which is given to the patient in an injection or by infusion into a vein. Other drugs such as linezolid are also being tested to treat strains that are resistant to vancomycin.