MRSA

(Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)

MRSA is an acronym for Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (and is sometimes referred to as MERSA), and it is an antibiotic resistant Superbug bacteria that grows in clusters, multiplies very rapidly and can cause many different kinds of infection, ranging from simple skin infections (boils, furuncles) to septicemia (infection of the bloodstream) and toxic shock syndrome, and is spreading rapidly in the United States and worldwide. MRSA is resistant to antibiotics such as penicillin and amoxicillin. The difference between it and common staph infections is that MRSA is antibiotic-resistant and can become deadly. MRSA is popularly termed in the press a "superbug".

MRSA occurs most frequently among people in hospitals, nursing homes and other health-care facilities. But cases are increasingly being contracted in schools, households, correctional facilities and day-care centers.

It can appear on the skin as a pimple or boil, and it can be red and swollen or have pus or other drainage. More serious infections can cause pneumonia, bloodstream infections or surgical wound infections. Experts say MRSA usually lives harmlessly on the skin, but if it gets into cuts scrapes it can cause a pimple-like bump that can quickly grow into a large, painful abscess.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently calculated that MRSA is responsible for 94,000 serious infections and nearly 19,000 deaths per year in the United States. These numbers would make MRSA responsible for more deaths each year than AIDS.

Sporicidin kills MRSA and VRE. Sporicidin Disinfectant Solution from Sporicidin International “provides 100% kill of disease and odor-causing vegetative organisms including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus (MRSA) and Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE),” the company said. The solution contains surfactants which also clean and deodorize mold, mildew, bacteria and fungi. In a 2 ½-year university study, it was found that Sporicidin is more effective than bleach on Stachybotrys, Chaetomium and Aspergillus organisms. The Sporicidin label lists it as effective against MRSA and Sporicidin is listed on the EPA web site as effective against MRSA.

The Microban QGC label lists it also as effective against MRSA.

Prevention tips:

• Practice good hygiene by keeping hands clean (hand washing, using hand sanitizers, even a nail brush to scrub your hands).
• Cover skin abrasions or cuts with clean, dry bandages until healed.
• Avoid sharing personal items such as soap or towels that come into contact with bare skin.
• Don’t pick your nose, because that’s where MRSA often resides.
• Don’t touch the bandages of someone with a MRSA infection.
• Seek medical help if you have a sore that you think may be infected.

Related Products:

• Microban QGC
• Sporicidin

Related Articles and Information:

• Bactericides / Anti-Microbials
• Fact sheet for the public: www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_mrsa_ca_public.html
• Guidelines for MRSA Cleaning and Disinfection in Adobe Acrobat format.
• MRSA in schools: www.cdc.gov/Features/MRSAinSchools/