Sorry to hear that your mom has been suffering from boils lately-- do you know what caused or triggered her first boil outbreak? Have these boils been accompanied by redness, pus, and/or a fever?
To answer your question-- MRSA (also commonly called Mersa) is caused by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. MRSA or Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a strain of staph that's resistant to the broad-spectrum antibiotics commonly used to treat it.
Commonly, people who become infected are those in a hospital setting, older adults with lower immune systems, and more recently it has been associated with otherwise healthy individuals who acquire it from their community.
The only way to test for MRSA is to go to the doctor or hospital and have a tissue sample taken or nasal secretions taken for detection of the bacteria. Results normally take about 48 hours to return. If your moms doctor strongly believes that it may be MRSA, she may be admitted to the hospital and started on treatment before results come back--this is because MRSA can be fatal and not worth losing time over.
I don't know how severe your moms boils are for her friend to suggest it could be MRSA, but if she is very active in her community, has a weakened immune system, or lives (or works) in a healthcare setting-- she is at risk of contracting the bacterial disease. Please have her go to her doctor to check her boils-- it may or may not be MRSA but it is best to be safe and proactive.
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Hi Kit,
Sorry to hear that your mom has been suffering from boils lately-- do you know what caused or triggered her first boil outbreak? Have these boils been accompanied by redness, pus, and/or a fever?
To answer your question-- MRSA (also commonly called Mersa) is caused by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. MRSA or Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a strain of staph that's resistant to the broad-spectrum antibiotics commonly used to treat it.
Commonly, people who become infected are those in a hospital setting, older adults with lower immune systems, and more recently it has been associated with otherwise healthy individuals who acquire it from their community.
The only way to test for MRSA is to go to the doctor or hospital and have a tissue sample taken or nasal secretions taken for detection of the bacteria. Results normally take about 48 hours to return. If your moms doctor strongly believes that it may be MRSA, she may be admitted to the hospital and started on treatment before results come back--this is because MRSA can be fatal and not worth losing time over.
I don't know how severe your moms boils are for her friend to suggest it could be MRSA, but if she is very active in her community, has a weakened immune system, or lives (or works) in a healthcare setting-- she is at risk of contracting the bacterial disease. Please have her go to her doctor to check her boils-- it may or may not be MRSA but it is best to be safe and proactive.
Please keep us posted!
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mrsa/DS00735
April 11, 2010 - 7:06amhttps://www.empowher.com/media/reference/staph-infection
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