MRSA, the acronym for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, refers to a type of bacteria that cannot be treated with conventional antibiotics. MRSA is most commonly acquired in health care settings, such as hospitals or long-term care facilities, but has recently been popping up in otherwise healthy people out in the wider community. People with MRSA are at risk for potentially serious skin and wound infections, pneumonia or even organ failure, so it's important to know the available remedies, which include a different class of antibiotics and wound care, but start with prevention.
Prevention
The best remedy for MRSA is prevention. In addition to avoiding overuse of antibiotics, a few basic hygiene principles can help prevent the spread of this potentially deadly bacterial infection, starting with hand washing. Patients should be kept in single rooms and ask all hospital staff entering their room if they've washed their hands, because MRSA bacteria are commonly transmitted through contact. Visitors should also wash their hands. The Nemours Foundation's online TeenHealth web page recommends that people carry alcohol-based hand sanitizers to clean hands when they are out in the community and can't find a place to wash with soap and water.
Besides hand-washing, the Mayo Clinic MRSA guidelines recommend not sharing personal items, showering immediately after participating in sports and washing your athletic wear and linens in hot water
Antibiotics
Antibiotics are the treatment of choice for bacterial infections. However, some staphylococcus bacteria survived decades of excessive use of common antibiotics, including methicillin-type drugs, such as penicillin and amoxicillin, eventually developing resistance to them. In other words, the old reliable wide-spectrum antibiotics are no longer effective against this strain of the bacteria, and other, ever more powerful antibiotics are continually in development to attack these organisms. As of 2010, Johns Hopkins hospital's MRSA web page stated that vancomycin is the treatment of choice for MRSA, and a few other combinations of antibiotics are also sometimes used effectively. Unfortunately, the Mayo Clinic notes that some strains of the staph aureus bacteria are starting to show signs of resistance to vancomycin.
Wound Care and Drainage
Keep sores or wounds clean and covered--and wash hands before and after bandaging the site. This may protect open areas from contracting MRSA infections or keep the bacteria from spreading should it be already present. Wounds that become red, warm and inflamed, or seem to be getting worse rather than healing, need to be seen by medical professionals to determine if MRSA is present. The Mayo Clinic points out that superficial abscesses can sometimes be effectively treated through lancing and draining, rather than by taking antibiotics.
