Essay On MRSA

Science in the News: MRSA During the year 1961, British scientists discovered a superbug now known as MRSA. MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and is a strain of staph bacteria that evolved, becoming resistant to antibiotics commonly used to treat these type of infections. MRSA and (methicillin-susceptible) Staphylococcus aureus infections share the same general characteristics. The bacteria is a gram-positive coccus usually forming in clusters. MRSA is nonmotile (incapable of movement), non-spore forming, catalase:positive, oxidase:negative, and facultatively anaerobic.

Human civilizations have existed for thousands of years but with the existence of these civilizations diseases were right there with them. Even before great civilizations emerged, such as the Greeks and Romans, diseases have been around preying on animals and villages. When a civilization emerges it means that people have come together and built a society. These societies allow for diseases to spread easily because of unsanitary conditions and people being in close contact with each other on a normal basis. But in the past few decades science has allowed us to find cures or treatments for most diseases out there, yet there are still diseases that everyone knows about going around causing the deaths of thousands of people every year. This is because most of these diseases have emerged from past diseases that have been cured or we do not have the technology to treat them yet. New diseases emerge every year from old diseases such as the flu which is why we are constantly making a new flu vaccine yearly. The way these diseases emerge is usually where a small portion of the microbe causing it is immune to whatever treatment is used to destroy it. These microbes will then multiply themselves and eventually cause a new strain of disease that needs a new treatment method.

Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, is a strain of staph infection that is resistant to certain antibiotics. Methicillin is just one of the many antibiotics this particular strain of staph bacteria is immune to. There are two types of MRSA that can infect a person, healthcare-associated and community associated. Although the resiliency of MRSA has made it challenging to defeat, the infection is treatable and avoidable.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) was brought to light in the eighteen eighties, this infection was mainly found in surgical wounds and had the potential to be a serious fatal disease. The medical treatment for S. aureus infections became routine and successful with the discovery and introduction of antibiotic medicine, such as penicillin. Penicillin became the antibiotics of choice for treating S. aureus, however due to the over use of penicillin nearly 95% of all S. aureus strains developed a resistant’s to penicillin. ‘’The strains could easily be transmissible (easily passing between and colonizing both patients and hospital staff) and have the capacity to cause serious disease”. Methicillin was established in the UK and was giving the name Methicillin Resistance Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA). MRSA is bacterial that can resist the effects of many common antibiotics, which makes harder to treat.

The MRSA infection, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a type of staph infection that is particularly resistant to conventional antibiotics, making it extremely difficult to treat and mitigate. Generally, this infection spreads in hospitals and other healthcare facilities, and populations at risk include those with weak immune systems, young children and the elderly, the homeless, those in prison, and anyone in crowded, busy unhygienic areas. MRSA is diagnosed through the testing of bodily fluids in a lab, however these tests typically serve place as a confirmation to a medical professional’s suspicion of the disease based on the patient’s symptoms. Signs of MRSA start with small bumps or boils that develop into deep abscesses that harbor bacteria and require surgical draining. These can “burrow” deeper into the body to infect bones, the bloodstream, lungs, and other vital organs. MRSA develops rapidly, often within 24-48 hours, giving doctors little time to take action for treatment.

A common healthcare acquired infection that is seen both inside and outside of the hospital is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MRSA can have detrimental effects on the patient and is usually acquired within the hospital setting. The PICOT statement has many important aspects to include such as: population, intervention, comparison, outcome, and time, which is used to produce an evidence-based question. According to Schmidt & Brown (2012), the PICOT statement is used in evidence-based practice is to make decisions about patient care based on evidence with clinical expertise appraisal and current research while also considering patient preferences and values. The PICOT statement: In patients between the ages of 30 and 70 admitted

There are many diseases that fit into each of the four categories, if not one category, maybe two or more.

▶ MRSA - Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacteria, commonly called a “super bug,” that is resistant to

Biological evolution is defined as any genetic change in a population that is inherited over several, successive generations. (R.Bailey, 2014) The changes accumulate and over time a new species is created. One of the basic mechanisms of evolution is Natural Selection. Natural Selection is random genetic variation occurring within an organisms DNA and the beneficial mutations being preserved because they aid survival. (C.Darwin, 1859) Two notable scientists associated with the theory of evolution include Charles Darwin and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck.

Very good post! I really enjoyed reading it. A few more things that I found about the prevention of MRSA in high school sports are not sharing bar soap, clothes or towels. If soap and water is not available and even if your hands do not look, dirty hand sanitizer that is at least 60% alcohol based can be used to wash hands. Make sure to cover skin abrasions and cuts with a bandage and change when appropriate until healed. If you have a sore or boil and think that you have MRSA, get medical attention immediately to prevent the spread of this infection (CDC, 2014). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a great web page for prevention information and advice for athletes at the following website.