{"id":2038,"date":"2018-06-07T06:10:19","date_gmt":"2018-06-07T06:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/besthealth.guide\/?p=2038"},"modified":"2021-10-06T00:16:13","modified_gmt":"2021-10-06T00:16:13","slug":"9-most-common-mrsa-symptoms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/besthealth.guide\/9-most-common-mrsa-symptoms\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Most Common MRSA Symptoms"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Staph infections are caused by staphylococcus bacteria. Most people carry this germ, but 40% to 60% of people do so without showing any outward symptoms. Staph commonly resides on the skin or nasal lining. Most of the time, you\u2019ll only get minor skin infections.<\/p>\n

However, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is caused by drug-resistant staph. It has evolved to outwit many of the broad-spectrum antibiotics often used to treat regular staph infections. Mostly, MRSA infections occur in hospitals and other close living situations, such as frail care or assisted care living facilities. These infections typically result from inserting invasive procedures or devices, or even surgery.<\/p>\n

The challenge is that an open wound is created in someone with an already possibly weakened immune system and staph being the optimist it is, will try and make a go of a new host given half a chance.<\/p>\n

Here are the most common risk factors for and causes of MRSA.<\/p>\n

1. Implanted Heart Devices<\/h3>\n

Pacemakers and other implanted heart devices extend the life expectancy of people with cardiovascular<\/a> heart rhythm problems. However, if you have one of these devices and develop a staph infection it could actually be life-threatening, as reported in the August 2001 edition of Journal of the American Heart Association. The two most likely devices would be a pacemaker or an internal cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). A pacemaker is a tiny, inserted battery-operated device that helps the heart maintain a regular rhythm. An ICD delivers electric shocks to correct abnormal rhythms.<\/p>\n

The study was the largest of its kind at the time and analyzed individuals with pacemakers or cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) who had blood Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (staph) infections. Clinical data from the study suggested that if the infection occurs within 12 months of being inserted, the device was likely infected in 75% of cases. Usually, the staph had originated in tissue elsewhere in the body, then spread to the device, but the actual device was also thought to be the root cause in 18% of cases. As an affected patient, you\u2019d then need a new device or antibiotics.<\/p>\n

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2. Contact Sports<\/h3>\n

Those who play contact sports need to have staph infections at the back of their mind all the time, as we all have the bacteria causing it on our skin and in our nasal passages<\/a>. Typically in highly physical sports the skin will bruise, tear, scratch, or open in some way, allowing the bacteria in. This is why staph infections are so common in sports such as wrestling, and why team members belonging to the same sports team often become infected. The infection is traveling in locker rooms and other close quarters the team members share.<\/p>\n

In football, for example, more and more staph infections are being reported although the public isn\u2019t aware of this because the exact reason a player is sat out is never disclosed. In football in the NFL, wide receivers and defensive backs have the highest infection rates, probably due to turf burn. Team members should not share razors or soap. Always treat a suspicious bit of open, red flesh medically at the hands of a doctor.<\/p>\n

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\"\"3. Close Physical Contact With a Sexual Partner<\/h3>\n

Staph is not considered to be a sexually transmitted disease, but because it is an opportunistic skin-to-skin bacterium, you can give it to your partner and vice versa. It normally depends on where the infection sits. Staph is stubborn and usually does not go away easily, so bear in mind that it can be transferred even while you are on antibiotics<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If your partner has an open cut in the groin or other dark, moist area staph will go to nestle in that area first if you\u2019re prone to it. If that infected area then makes contact with your partner then depending on how susceptible your partner is, the infection will jump. When staph causes a skin infection like this it is called cellulitis. It is treatable with antibiotics, however, the best method of protection as always is simply sensible, thorough hygiene. Do not share soap, razors or towels and wash with an antiseptic liquid.<\/p>\n

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4. Hospitalization as A Staph Risk Factor<\/h3>\n

One of the biggest public health threats in hospitals remains methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus<\/a>, or MRSA, even though mercifully it isn\u2019t the monster bacterial threat it was once thought to be. Surprisingly, until very recently, little was known about how exactly the bug spreads and from whom to whom. A study in the last 3 years in Berck-sur-Mer Hospital in Northern France was conducted in which 329 patients and 261 health care workers were fitted with wireless transceivers to uncover staph patterns.<\/p>\n

The study lasted over 4 months and tracked about 85 000 close proximity interactions (CPI) per day on average. CPI was defined as being in a range of 0,5 meters. Each person was then each tested for 48 strains of staph, including MRSA, using a nasal swab each week. The results produced concrete proof that 48% of new staph infections were due to CPI with an infected person, and 38% was due to two CPIs where A passed it to B, who then transmitted it to C.<\/p>\n

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5. Living In Crowded or Unhygienic Conditions<\/h3>\n

Like being in a hospital, staph spreads faster in crowded or unhygienic living conditions. Unlike in normal household situations where each household member may have their own room, staph spreads quicker in close living conditions such as dorms, military barracks, navy shipping vessels, migrant camps and the like. The defining feature is the lack of physical barriers separating people, such as having to share sleeping quarters, and lack of hygiene.<\/p>\n

Lack of hygiene may be obvious, such as in an informal camp, where access to running water may be compromised and soap or antifungals non-existent. But it can also be in the form of shared mattresses and linen which is not changed often enough, sharing soap or razors, or even a lack of adequate ventilation. To spread, there needs to be one infected person, and another with lowered immunity barriers who are susceptible to the bacteria<\/a>, Lowered immunity barriers are often at play not only because of a lack of access to adequate healthcare, but also a lack of wholesome, nutritious food.<\/p>\n

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6. Misuse or Overuse of Antibiotics<\/h3>\n

A type of staph bacteria doing the rounds in hospitals decades ago was cause for alarm as broad-spectrum antibiotics could not eradicate it. This drug-resistant staph strain is Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The real problem came when MRSA started presenting itself in communities beyond its typical hospital boundaries in the 1990s.<\/p>\n

This kind of bacterial drug-escaping strain is due to not only clever bacterial mutation but also the over-prescription and incorrect use of antibiotics. Intelligent, street-smart bacteria evolve and learn how to \u2018outwit\u2019 future antibiotic courses. Staph is so smart that in the chess game of germ<\/a> evolution, it checkmates to a new outbreak faster than science and research can come up with more potent and effective medication to treat it.<\/p>\n

Human impatience is also to blame. There is no need to take antibiotics for many infections that would clear up on their own, but people readily take antibiotics to speed up healing time. Another problem has been identified as the overprescription of antibiotics to animals.<\/p>\n

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7. Unclean Environments<\/h3>\n

Regardless of how non-crowded and stylish your living conditions or the upmarket gym you visit may be, staph likes moist, unsanitized surfaces. Moreover, this is true of other bugs as well – bugs that weaken your immunity and could mean any staph infection you get becomes a serious blood<\/a> issue.<\/p>\n

Wipe down surfaces that are frequently used. Examples are doorknobs, taps, flush handles, towel railings, countertops, and light switches. This should be done with a disinfectant. The same applies to children\u2019s toys and utensils since they are often passed around in schools, daycare centers, and aftercare centers. Sporting and training equipment should, for the same reason, be wiped down before and after use.<\/p>\n

This is why you should always sit on a towel in the gym on any equipment too. The correct way to use a disinfectant is to spray down the surface, allow it to air for two or three minutes, and then only to wipe it with a dry, clean cloth.<\/p>\n

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\"\"8. Illegal Drug Use via Injections<\/h3>\n

Interestingly, the leading cause of intravenous drug users (IDUs) visiting the emergency department is not overdose-related problems, but infections, and soft tissue infections such as staph skin infections. Staphylococcus aureus is the biggest bacterial germ in the IDU hospital-visiting community. Not only does it cause the highest number of skin infections, but it is also the leading cause of more severe ones. In fact, the spread of drug-resistant MRSA among drug users has reached epidemic levels in Europe and North America.<\/p>\n

Data also shows that IDUs have a higher rate of carrying normal staph infections<\/a> than the rest of the population. It is not clear why this is so in the first place though. There is no obvious link between this higher incidence rate, and repeat injections, for example.<\/p>\n

What is clear, is that the illegal nature of illicit drugs does increase the number of infections associated with intravenous drug use. This has sparked awareness and intervention programs as grassroots levels, including education on changing needles and safe injection practices for severely addicted IDUs.<\/p>\n

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9. Living In a Care Facility Full-time<\/h3>\n

Living in a frail care facility or assisted care facility comes with its own complications, not just due to the closeness of the living conditions and risk of contact, but due to other factors high on the vulnerability scale. One of them is age, as this often comes with weakened skin barriers and weakened immunity in general. It also comes with more opportunities for germ transfer from commodes, catheters, and other assisting devices.<\/p>\n

To lower the risk, caregivers have to be on the lookout for vulnerable spots such as bed sores.<\/a> They should also sanitize their hands and arms constantly, especially between patients. They should wear gloves, especially when touching IVs or bodily fluids; use clinical sterile techniques and clean thoroughly after bandage changes, procedures, surgeries, and spills. Also, any signs of wounds and fissures should be immediately reported and treated as these can lead to more severe symptoms of MRSA. \r\n

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