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Novartis.co.uk
| Press Office
| MRSA Background Information
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| MRSA Background |
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| Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) |
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Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) are bacteria commonly found on human skin. Around one in three people carry the bacteria without experiencing any symptoms or health problems.1 However, the bacteria can cause infections if it enters the body, for example by getting under the skin or into the lungs or bloodstream. This can be a particular problem for those in hospital with post-operative surgical wounds, intravenous lines or weakened immune systems.1
S. aureus infections are treatable with routinely used antibiotics such as the penicillins. However, in the last 10-15 years, isolates of S. aureus have emerged which are resistant to these treatments (and often to other antibiotics).2 These are commonly known as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and now represent over 40% of the S. aureus causing bloodstream infections in England.1
MRSA has been shown to be associated with a higher risk of death for patients and significantly higher treatment costs.3
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| Types of Infection |
S. aureus infects a range of tissues and organs giving general, often ambiguous, symptoms that are common to different infections caused by other bacteria.1 The main sites for infection include the skin or soft tissue (e.g. around wounds, sores or ulcers), in the lungs (which can cause pneumonia), on organs within the body (e.g. lungs, kidneys, bones, liver, spleen), or in the blood stream (which is known as bacteraemia).1
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| Skin and Soft Tissue Infections |
Skin and soft tissue infections account for at least 10% of admissions to infection units in the UK4 and MRSA is the most common cause of wound infection.1
Complicated skin and soft tissue infections (cSSTIs) include:
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| MRSA Rates |
Rates of infection with MRSA are hard to estimate as records are typically only kept of MRSA infections of the bloodstream, known as bacteraemia. Around 3,500 people each year contract this form of MRSA infection.5
The number of death certificates specifying MRSA has risen from 51 in 1993 to 1,629 in 20056 and reducing MRSA is now a key focus for healthcare managers.
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| Treating MRSA |
Choice of treatment for MRSA is limited as many standard antibiotics do not work effectively. The main treatments include7:
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Vancomycin
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Teicoplanin (Targocid)
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Linezolid (Zyvox)
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Daptomycin (Cubicin)
There are various associated issues with the available treatments for MRSA, for example some take longer to work than others and some are associated with side effects which make them inappropriate for certain types of patient. In addition, there are varying methods of administration, some of which may be more convenient for certain patient types than others.8
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| References |
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