Question

Jan acquired a MRSA infection during a stay at a rehabilitation facility. Jan’s physician tells her that her MRSA was caused by S. aureus. How would you explain to Jan what S. aureus is and how it can cause diseases?

Answer 1

MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It is a resistant variety of S. aureus bacteria which is difficult to treat.

• S. aureus is a gram-positive bacteria, present on our skin and also in the respiratory tract. It is generally found on human skin and does not cause disease.
• S. aureus is classified as an opportunistic pathogen, meaning, it can cause infections or illness when the body is suffering from other illnesses or when conditions are appropriate for its colonization and infection.
• The bacteria cause sinusitis, respiratory infections, food poisoning, skin infections...etc.
• The bacteria can spread from an infected person to healthy individuals by direct contact or by contaminated body fluids like sneeze or cough. S. aureus infections can be treated by antibiotics, emergence of MRSA clinical cases is challenging to eradicate. The MRSA is also a hospital-acquired infections, so chances of mortality and acute infections are more.