MRSA infections

[goatherder]

My oldest son is a hospital corpsman in the Navy. He is currently stationed in Okinawa. He's a pretty health fellow, but recently has been going through a nasty episode caused by MRSA which is an antibiotic resistant bacterial infection. It has usually occured in hospital settings amoung folks who are already sick, but has spread rapidly into the healthy population. I feel it is something we all need to be aware of. Everyone needs to know how it is detected and how it is treated and most importantly, how to prevent it. In a disaster situation, it could be very nasty!

 

Here are some links to MRSA info:

 

http://www.amm.co.uk/files/factsabout/fa_mrsa.htm

 

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_mrsa.html

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2572841.stm

 

http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/Health...p+News/MRSA.htm

 

In addition to the MRSA my son also developed Stevens-Johnson's syndrome as a result of being treated with sulfa drugs. There are number of drugs that can induce Stevens-Johnson's and it can be fatal. If someone develops it, they must stringently avoid all sulfa-based drugs forever.

 

Here is a link on that topic:

 

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stevens-j...yndrome/DS00940

 

That reminds me...when stocking meds for preps, make sure you have a history for each person you are prepping for. You MUST know any drug allergies they might have and be able to recognize symptoms of drug reactions. Even OTC drugs can be dangerous in this respect...asprin for instance. If someone is taking prescription meds, make sure you know (write it down!) any meds they should not take with the prescription ones.

[stacey]

Well, actually - we all have staph as part of our normal flora (healthy) on and in our bodies. We need it. The MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staph Aureus) is simply a strand of staph that has developed a resistance to one group of antibiotics (methicillin). Under normal circumstances, it is no more dangerous to healthy individuals that our own normal staph and can be killed by any other antibiotic. It only becomes dangerous to those whose immune system has become weakened due to stress, or other illness... etc. It is in hospitals and in the general public. I work in the hospital and am exposed to MRSA multiple times daily. I don't worry about it. The one that worries me (but only a little) is hepatitis B as it can survive on surfaces for days...

[goatherder]

That's one you better check on. MRSA has spread into the "healthy" population. My son was quite healthy with a healthy immune system and he wound up with a nasty infection. Apparently, in healthy people they start out with what seems to be a "spider bite" which isn't really a spider bite at all. If you are not taking any precautions about your exposures to MRSA, well...I just hope you don't get it!

[stacey]

Thank you for your concern, it is appreciated. I am an RN and I do take all necessary precautions. We have to remember that this is still an infection, but one which your body's own immune system should be able to fight. It sound like your son has some stress if he is in the navy, overseas. Stress (even the "good" kind) weakens our immune system. This "bug" came about by people (mass population) not finishing antibiotics as prescribed (over time)and from people (mass population, in general)demanding physicians give them antibiotics for things that probably should have been allowed to be "killed off" by people's own immune systems. We were warned about this happening on a global scale at least 20 years ago (I remember because my pediatrician was very cautious giving antibiotics...) But, yes, we have started seeing more and more of this starting to affect healthy people, expecially teens and young adults, tho' not sure why this age group, unless it's because this is the generation that really started being given massive doses of antibiotics and their bodies weren't given the chance to build up antibiodies to lots of things like they should have been.

[goatherder]

Apparently his area has been having a lot of MRSA cases lately. In fact, he was assigned to do tracking. He was not given a lot of antibiotics as a child. We carefully avoided meds unless it was essential.

 

Thanks for the explanation, but I am aware of how antibiotic resistance develops. We covered such things pretty thoroughly in my pre-med classes.

[HSmom]

GH, I'm sorry to hear that your ds has been ill.

 

MRSA in general came up here a while back. You can read my thoughts on it in this thread.

[Mountain Child]

Just a thought to throw in.....

 

Recently read (will have to refind that source-think it was in one of my CEUs) that the biggest contributor to antibiotic resistance is in our meat. Our food supply being given massive doses of antibiotics; we're paying the price.

 

Mt. Child

[Mountain Child]

Oh....

 

And, in our hospital, we are isolating those that have previously been infected/treated for MRSA now. I find that it is very difficult to isolate those with this infection because of so many visitors walking in and out of the room not following isolation procedures; even the doctors! Walk right in and take it right out...to the public.

[Deb2of9]

Originally Posted By: goatherder

That reminds me...when stocking meds for preps, make sure you have a history for each person you are prepping for. You MUST know any drug allergies they might have and be able to recognize symptoms of drug reactions. Even OTC drugs can be dangerous in this respect...asprin for instance. If someone is taking prescription meds, make sure you know (write it down!) any meds they should not take with the prescription ones.

You know I have told my family to keep a list of this type of thing with them, I have even helped my daughter make a book with the medical history of herself, her husband and all of the kids. She hasn't kept up on it though. I didn't think of keeping one of everyone along with my preparations. I had thought, but never followed through on getting a copy of the information on her family in case I ever get a call in the middle of the night from a hospital on her or her family. I want to have all of the information handy. Didn't stop to think it would be even more important if there wasn't medical help easily available.

[Deb2of9]

My daughter got a bad MRSA infection after the birth of my grandson. It possibly could have been treated easily if her doctor wasn't an idiot. I only say that because the incision is where the infection was. She said that it couldn't been from surgury, she must have gotten it at home. Well, it was on her uterus, not a likely place to get it at home. Her sypmtoms also started before she left the hospital. Then she insisted she was healed because the incision was practically closed. The temp of 104 wasn't a sign of infection at all, and neither was the pus pocket that broke open and spurted accross the room. She also told her that the green drainage was nothing cause it turned green after it came out. As I said the doctor was an idiot. She isn't using her for the pregnancy this time. It took her 8 or 9 months to get it to clear up. She was sick that whole time. One doctor told her she needed to be put on Vancomycin IV, but her doctor wouldn't do it, and the other doctor wanted her to have sugury to clean the infection out and wouldn't touch a potential law suit case. It could have been cleared up easier if they would have just accepted she had the infection in the first place.

 

With Community acquired MRSA or CAMRSA as it is called, it is usually people who's immunity is compromised, but healthy people do get it. Usually after they have sustained a bite or a cut.