MRSA, or methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, is a strain of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that is resistant to the antibiotics commonly used to treat staph infections. MRSA is typically contracted in hospital settings, although healthy people may become infected in gyms, daycares, camps and other community settings. While MRSA infections usually begin with small, red bumps on the skin, they can quickly progress to life-threatening infections in the blood, heart or lungs. Seek medical help right away if you experience any symptoms of a MRSA infection.
Bump(s) on the Skin
In the early stages, MRSA infections are typically characterized by small red bumps or swollen areas of the skin. According to the Mayo Clinic, these inflamed bumps may easily be confused for spider bites or pimples. Very quickly, MRSA can cause increasing pain and redness in the affected area, and can cause the skin to feel warm to the touch. The bumps may then become abscesses, or deepening areas of infection that penetrate below the superficial layer of skin and create sores that are filled with fluid or pus.
General Malaise
Some individuals with MRSA infections may experience symptoms that resemble that of a common virus; however, these symptoms are a sign of a more extensive and severe bacterial infection. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, these symptoms may include a general malaise or body-wide ill feeling, muscle aches and pains, fatigue and headache. Some individuals may also develop a cough or a rash anywhere on the body. These symptoms may be signs that the infection is spreading, so you should contact your physician right away for examination.
Pneumonia and Blood-borne Infections
In most cases, MRSA infections are confined to the skin; however, the bacteria can penetrate the skin and enter the bloodstream, leading to potentially life-threatening infection. According to the Mayo Clinic, once MRSA has entered the body, it can infect the joints, bones, heart and lungs. MRSA can also infect the soft tissue beneath the skin's surface, leading to severe cellulitis--a bacterial infection of the skin and underlying tissue that causes symptoms that include a swollen, red rash that is warm to the touch, pain and tenderness and fever.
EMedTV notes that MRSA infections may also lead to pneumonia, characterized by symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, sweating and shaking chills, a severe cough and persistent fever. Because pneumonia and other MRSA-related infections can spread rapidly and, in some cases, lead to death, you should seek immediate medical treatment if you experience any of these symptoms.
