UH Health Center staff has been informing students, faculty members and staff on the recent outbreak of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infections and urges them to take precautions to avoid it.
MRSA is a type of bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics, such as methicillin, oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site.
The staph bacteria, which causes the MRSA infection, is commonly found inside the nose and on the skin of healthy people but does not normally cause any health problems, said dermatology nurse Charisse Nesline.
"When the bacteria has an opportunity to invade the body, such as through a small cut, abrasion or an ingrown hair, a staph skin infection may result," she said.
Interest in MRSA has increased recently because large amounts of people across the nation are getting these infections, said Chief Physician James Gray.
About 32 invasive infections per 100,000 people have gotten MRSA, according to an October study of the American Medical Association.
"In 2001, the incidents of people with MRSA was 3 percent; it has jumped to 60 percent in six years," he said.
Still many people do not know much about the infections and what it can cause if left untreated.
"I had no idea that this was such a huge epidemic now. I have heard of staph infections, but never an outbreak of them," said University Studies sophomore Jeremy Best. "Everyone should be informed."
Most infections are minor, which can be effectively treated with appropriate antibiotics.
"Once a person has started treatment for staph or MRSA skin infections, the symptoms and infection should improve after a few days. After a full course of antibiotics – seven to 14 days – the infection should be completely resolved," Nesline said.
Because of the bacteria’s resistance to common antibiotics and its ability to adapt to new ones, researchers must continue to produce drugs that will effectively treat the infection, according to the WebMD Web site.
"Many physicians are prescribing antibiotics when they should be prescribing other things. Too much use of antibiotics cause the organisms to become resistant," Gray said.
The most common way people transmit the MRSA infection is through "direct skin-to-skin contact," she said. The best way to prevent infection is practicing good hygiene.
"This includes proper hand washing with soap and water, using alcohol-based hand sanitizers and keeping any cuts or scrapes clean, dry and covered with a bandage," Nesline said.
In the past, most cases on campus involved athletes who were in close contact with each other. Now everyone in the community is at risk to getting the infection, Gray said.
"It’s spreading everywhere now simply due to the close contact of people," he said. "We have several people come in every week with MRSA infections."
People are advised to see a health care provider if they suspect having the infection or if they have any unusual growths on any part of their body.
"MRSA and other staph skin infections usually look like a pimple or boil. They may be red, swollen and painful and may have pus or drainage," Nesline said.
Gray said people should be careful because "they might think that they have a pimple one day, and the next day it’s twice the size (and it’s) red, hard and painful."
Since the type of bacteria causing the infection cannot be determined simply through appearance, the patient "will usually have a bacterial culture performed on the wound to determine what (it) is," she said.
"The results of the culture take three to five days to come back," she said. "In the meantime, an antibiotic may be prescribed to empirically treat the infection while the culture is being processed."
Health Center staff offers tips to patients with infections on "how to properly clean and care for the infected area as well as how to prevent spreading the infection to other parts of the skin or to other people" Nesline said.
"People with infections should take medication as prescribed, keep their wound clean and covered, wash clothing, towels and sheets that may have come in contact with the wound," she said.
To prevent the bacteria and infection from spreading to other parts of the body and spreading to others, patients are also advised to wash their hands frequently and thoroughly, "especially after changing a bandage or touching the wound," she said.
The infection can become more severe if not adequately treated, Nesline said. Patients are advised to contact their health care provider for further evaluation and treatment if conditions persist, she said.
"Further treatment may include re-culturing the wound, further draining the wound or changing the medication prescribed," Nesline said. "Very serious infections may require hospitalization and IV antibiotic therapy."
Health Center staff said they hope the UH community will be more cautious about their sanitation habits to avoid infection.
"I’m going to wash my hands whenever possible. Everyone’s hands are dirty enough and I don’t want to be the guy spreading the infection. It’s something simple anyone can do and that everyone should do," Best said.
People are also urged not to share personal items such as cosmetics, bath towels, razors and to clean any equipment they may come in contact with that others touch.
People should pay "attention to the potential dangers of MRSA and seek help early because it spreads rapidly," Gray said. "Untreated infections can lead to severe infections in the bloodstream and in vital organs. It can then lead to death. There’s nothing more final than death."
