MRSA, or methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, is a type of bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics. Although MRSA naturally lives on the skin and in nasal tissues without causing problems, it can lead to life-threatening infection if it enters the body through a cut on the skin, a surgical wound or other medical procedure. MRSA infections are most commonly caused by hospitalizations and surgeries, although they may also be contracted in community settings through contact with MRSA-contaminated items or skin-to-skin contact.
Hospitalizations and Surgeries
Health care-associated MRSA infections are those contracted in a hospital, nursing home or other health care setting, and they represent the majority of MRSA cases. According to the National Institutes of Health, anyone who has had surgery or been hospitalized within the last year is at increased risk for developing a MRSA infection. The bacteria may enter through the skin at an injection or intravenous therapy site, or through the mouth or nose via a breathing tube. MRSA may also enter the body directly through an open surgical wound during surgery, or may infect the skin and underlying tissue of the wound post-surgery.
Skin-to-Skin Contact
Community-associated MRSA infections occur in generally healthy people who have not recently been hospitalized but who have been exposed to the bacteria through everyday activity in the community, according to the National Institutes of Health. Direct skin-to-skin contact with another person can cause a MRSA infection if you have a cut, injury or open wound through which the bacteria enter. This contact may occur during sporting activities such as wrestling or basketball, sexual contact or living or traveling in confined quarters. For example, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, military personnel and prisoners are at increased risk of contracting MRSA infections because of crowded conditions that make close skin contact more likely. According to the New York State Department of Health, poor hygiene, including lack of regular hand washing, can also increase the risk of MRSA infections.
Contact with Contaminated Items
Community-associated MRSA infections are also caused by sharing items that are contaminated with MRSA. For example, people may contract MRSA through the skin, mouth or nasal cavity after sharing tainted towels at a gym or hotel. Athletes are at higher risk of contracting MRSA through shared use of contaminated gym equipment, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children sharing playground equipment, toys or utencils in a daycare setting are also at increased risk. Injected drug users may contract the infection through the skin at the injection site if they have shard a MRSA-contaminated needle, according to the New York State Department of Health.
