General staph bacteria causes several types of infection, ranging in severity from minor skin infections (such as the annoying but mild pimples associated with teenage acne) to more serious infections found in surgical wounds, the bloodstreams, and in those contracting pneumonia.  Most types of staph can be treated with penicillin, but MRSA is resistant to all types of antibiotics called beta-lactams.

Beta-lacatams are extremely effective in treating staph strains other than MRSA.  The most common beta-lactams include penicillin, methicillin, oxacillin and amoxocillin.  The fact that MRSA is resistant to even the best-developed and strongest of antibiotics, when combined with the high communicability of the disease, makes the prospect of contracting MRSA particularly frightening.

So far, five main types of MRSA have been identified.  They are most commonly categorized by the location in which they are spread and contracted.  HA-MRSA, or Hospital-acquired MRSA, is, as indicated by the name, spread through medical facilities.  This type of MRSA is the most resistant to antibiotics.  It is usually spread through direct contact with health care professionals who carry the disease, or objects such as bandages or blankets that are infected with MRSA bacteria.

The other strain of MRSA is CA-MRSA, or community acquired MRSA.  This type of MRSA is spread anywhere outside of the health-care world.  CA-MRSA bacteria are somewhat less resistant to antibiotics, but are also more likely to be spread, due to lack of education and less sanitary conditions in the community at large.

Both CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA are often referred to as “Silent Terror Bombs” due to their lethal attacks on the immune system. These aggressive bacteria secrete peptides, or compounds made up of amino acids, which in turn cause normally strong immune cells, or neutrophils, to explode.  This elimination of immune system cells undermines the human body’s best defense against other infections, in the same way that contracting HIV ruins the immune system and paves the way for AIDS.

MRSA may not be as severe as HIV, but it is much more communicable than HIV, which can only be spread through direct contact with body fluids as opposed to MRSA’s ability to spread through contact with skin and objects.

They typically reside on the skin or inside the nose, and for most people, are easily combated by the immune system.  They are more dangerous if picked up through contact with open skin, but even then will just manifest in the form of pimples on the skin.  Staph (or staff) bacteria are most dangerous to children and older adults who are less resistant to the staph bacteria.  When staph bacteria attack a weaker immune system, they will excrete a compound made up of amino acids which explodes important immune cells.  This in turn leads to severe symptoms.

Staph infections are hazardous enough without the distinction of being Methicillin-resistant (which is a fancy way of saying that they cannot be cured with anti-biotics).  They occur as a result of Staph bacteria invading the body and undermining an already weak immune system.  Symptoms usually appear first on the skin, with tiny red bumps that are initially mistaken as pimples or even spider bites.  As the infection grows more severe, the bumps turn into painful pustules that can only be taken care of through surgical drainage.

If not drained, the MRSA will progress beyond a simple skin condition and move into the body itself.  This is when it truly becomes serious, because the infection can be fatal if it moves to the inner organs.  In more susceptible victims such as young children, elderly adults and those already afflicted with illness, the infection has an extremely high mortality rate.

With regular staph infections, treatment will typically include antibiotics such as methicillin and penicillin.  Unfortunately, MRSA infections feature bacteria that have developed a powerful resistance to these antibiotics.  Treatment instead relies on newer, more powerful, and more dangerous antibiotics, which are much less reliable and do not always (or even a majority of the time) keep the victim safe from death.  Treatment has effectively turned into a race between medical researchers developing newer and more powerful antibiotics, and new strains of MRSA that quickly grow resistant to even the most powerful treatments. Because the bacteria still have the upper hand on the antibiotics, the best way to treat this infection is to prevent it from occurring in the first place.  This can be done by promoting sanitary conditions, and having skin conditions checked out to make sure that they aren’t staph infections.

Researchers are constantly battling to gain the upper-hand against MRSA bacteria. They use antibiotics that pass certain microbiological tests.  These tests utilize Kirby-Bauer antibiotic discs on agar plates to determine which antibiotics may be effective against MRSA bacteria.  Because the bacteria are so resistant, one type of antibiotic alone is rarely enough to combat the bacteria.  Instead, a combination of two or more types of antibiotics is used to treat those with MRSA infections. This combination may include vancomycin, linezolid, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim or rifampin.

Sometimes, less severe infections are treated with mupirocin. This form of treatment for MRSA is limited to skin infections that have not progressed to the bloodstream, but is usually effective in halting the infection before it grows severe. Beyond antibiotic treatments, there are few surgical treatments that are used in an attempt to treat the infection. The first such treatment is draining the pus from skin boils that usually indicate the present or near future spread of the infection from skin to the bloodstream.

Any foreign body that may be a source of infection such as artificial grafts and heart valves, must be removed to increase the effectiveness of the antibiotic treatment. In severe cases of MRSA, surgical procedures may be necessary to remove body parts that are infected with MRSA. This is often the route taken with those who have a concentrated staph infection in the extremities, but have not yet contracted it in the internal organs. A limb is usually deemed a worthy sacrifice to keep the infection away from the heart, where it would almost certainly result in death.

Even when these surgeries are undertaken, the individual will be treated with several antibiotics in order to kill all remaining MRSA bacteria in the body.  If the bacteria are not killed, they can spread again, and the symptoms may be even more severe since the immune system is now even more susceptible.

Many patients die from MRSA because it is so resistant to treatment. Even with the time and effort being invested in developing new antibiotics, in many cases these drugs are still not enough to protect a victim from death.

MRSA is similar to other staph infections in the way it is spread, and the signs of it in victims.  Like other staph bacteria, MRSA spreads through contact with objects, skin or open wounds.  It is most likely to be severe if it comes into contact with open skin.  Many people are carriers of MRSA and most will never know of that fact.

Over a quarter of the population carries some sort of staph bacteria on their skin, and about 2 percent of the community carries MRSA.  This seems insignificant until you think how many 2 percent of people really is.  Those with weaker immune systems or those who came in contact with MRSA through open skin contact are often the first to exhibit signs of the infection.

The initial signs are seemingly insignificant-small red bumps that are usually shrugged off as acne or bug bites.  Often, this is the most severe the infection will get, in which case the victim is very lucky.  Others may develop painful boils and blisters on their face or body.  These boils will fill up with pus and appear large and red.  This is usually the point where the victim consults a doctor, but sometimes it is already too late.

Once the bacteria has entered the bloodstream and moved onto to internal organs, the major symptoms begin to appear.  These include contracting deadly diseases such as meningitis and pneumonia.  Other patients may exhibit toxic shock syndrome or food poisoning.  These diseases occur due to the terrible havoc MRSA bacteria wreak on the human immune system.  Some patients will have a concentrated infection on one of their limbs, which is almost always removed in hopes that the antibiotics will kill off the rest of the MRSA before it reaches the internal organs.

MRSA is an extremely dangerous disease that will turn fatal if not caught in the early stages.  Unfortunately, very few people are aware of the warning signs, and as such are unable to treat the infection before it enters the bloodstream and grows severe.  Hopefully with education and prevention measures, we will reduce the number of deaths due to this awful infection.

This is why most people fail to contract severe staff infections despite the fact that at least 25 percent of adults are carriers of some type of staph bacteria.  Those with weaker immune systems (typically children, elderly adults and the very ill) and even healthy adults plagued by more severe strains of staph bacteria will see their symptoms progress beyond mere skin blemishes.  First, the bumps transform into painful abscesses that are much larger than the initial tiny bumps.

These boils are filled with pus.  As the infection worsens, the victim may exhibit flulike symptoms such as fever, nausea , headache, muscle pain, diarrhea, and vomiting.  They may feel constantly tired and drained.  These symptoms and their severity depend largely on the strain of staph bacteria and how the bacteria were spread to the victim.  Because of these symptoms, doctors often misdiagnose staph infections, especially if the original skin blemishes have not yet reached a point where they are severe enough to be labeled as pustules.

Also, because these symptoms are fairly mild, those infected with the bacteria rarely seek diagnosis early enough to halt the further spread of bacteria.  Fortunately, many who are infected are able to fight off the bacteria with their own immune systems, but others are less fortunate.

The severe MRSA symptoms begin as soon as the bacteria enter the bloodstream.  Once these bacteria reach the internal organs, the infection usually grows life-threatening.  Victims will show a huge variety of symptoms, including severe diarrhea, meningitis, pneumonia, and urinary tract infections.

Some may have difficulty breathing, or be susceptible to food poisoning.  This susceptibility is caused by the staph bacteria’s destruction of immune cells.  Bacteria may also localize in the limbs, which is why many people with severe staph infections have to have their legs or arms surgically amputated.

In Mersa infections, these symptoms will continue to manifest, and will not be halted by the use of standard antibiotics.  Those infected are hospitalized for lengthy amounts of time, and subjugated to riskier treatments, that while more powerful, can be dangerous to the individual.

The skin conditions that may indicate MRSA are small red bumps on the skin.  They may occur on the face, the back or almost any other body part.  Unlike acne, however, these “pimples” can turn into a severe infection if left untreated.  Usually, from bumps, they progress to large red boils filled with pus.  The pustules often sting and can be quite painful for the victim suffering the infection.  It is often at this point when the victim may seek out the help of a dermatologist, who commonly tests for staph infections, and may refer them to another doctor.  Unfortunately, however, due to an apparent lack of awareness even in the medical world, MRSA is often misdiagnosed, even by professionals.

The boils will continue to increase in size and number, until eventually the infection spreads into the blood stream.  From there, the infection makes its way to internal organs, at which point the condition has become life-threatening.  The patient will now begin to exhibit much more severe symptoms, such as fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and muscle pain.  As the MRSA bacteria kill off the body’s immune cells, the victim will contract very severe conditions such as pneumonia, toxic shock syndrome and even meningitis.

At this point, although doctors will step in with very strong antibiotic treatment, there is usually little that can be done to save the patient.  This is why so many MRSA infections end in death-MRSA cannot be treated with usual antibiotics, and is extremely resistant to all treatments, even those that are extremely powerful.

Prevention is an important measure, because many people may be carriers of MRSA and never be aware of it.  Even those who have contracted the infection will not show symptoms for over a week, during which time they are spreading the bacteria to other people, surfaces and objects.  They may spread the disease in both hospitals and the rest of the community without knowing it.  Only later will they find out that they may have doomed others to the same fate without knowing it.

MRSA can be spread to healthy and sick people alike, but is more likely to be transmitted to anyone with a high susceptibility to illness.  A healthy immune system is often (though not always) a safeguard against MRSA, but those who lack a strong immune system find little protection against the disease.  MRSA commonly strikes young children, elderly adults and hospital patients.  This is a bit scary when you consider that 7 percent of hospital workers are infected with the disease, and a high percentage of those employed in nursing homes and daycare facilities contract MRSA as well.  The people with the least resistance to MRSA are also the most likely to spend significant amounts of time in facilities housing high levels of bacteria.

Certain conditions make the spread of MRSA more likely.  These include crowded facilities, contact with open abrasions, frequent contact with skin, and unsanitary conditions in which many surfaces and objects may be contaminated by the staph bacteria.  Other risk factors may include obesity, direct contact sports such as football and wrestling, spending significant amounts of time in swimming pools, saunas and hot tubs, and living or working in places with low levels of hygiene.  Even behavior thought to be harmless can easily spread the disease.  These behaviors may include shaving body hair, sharing towels, combs, razors and clothing items, and use of medical equipment such as IVs.

It is important for the public to understand that MRSA is not only communicable; it is highly communicable and extremely likely to spread quickly. Often, awareness and education can be the best form of prevention.  Also, it is important to be tested for MRSA and other strains of staph so that you know if you are a carrier-once you have received this knowledge, you can take the steps necessary to prevent spreading this potentially fatal infection.

MRSA is mostly communicable between those who live in cramped quarters or in unsanitary conditions.  Those who contract the infection are often children, elderly adults or ill patients.  These individuals have weaker immune systems which are much less resistant to the infection.  This may explain why so many cases of MRSA are contracted in medical facilities despite the usual hygienic conditions.

Many of those residing in medical facilities have weakened immune systems, and are very susceptible to bacteria.  Also, the fact that the most severe staph infections occur due to direct contact with open skin, coupled with the large number of patients with conditions including open skin can lead to an increased number of infections.  This is why medical professionals need to be extremely careful and maintain extremely hygienic workplaces.

MRSA usually appears initially as a mild skin condition, marked by small red bumps on the skin that are often mistaken for acne or spider bites.  It eventually progresses to more severe boils, which fill with pus.  In the most severe cases, the bacteria will advance into the bloodstream and attack immune cells.  This is another reason why many people confuse MRSA bacteria with viruses such as HIV.  However, unlike the HIV virus, the way in which MRSA bacteria kill off immune cells is through the secretion of an amino acid compound that actually results in the explosion of the immune cell.

MRSA is definitely not a virus, but often, the staph infection will occur due to a weakened immune system after a virus, or the virus may occur due to the MRSA weakening the immune system.  Oftentimes, a deadly virus and MRSA may occur at the same time, which makes the victims’ chances of survival slim to none, as in cases of co morbid MRSA and HIV.

Because MRSA isn’t a virus, it still has the potential to be treated by antibiotics (despite its resistance to standard antibiotic treatments) unlike viral infections which can merely have the symptoms treated.

Those who are already infected with MRSA do not show signs or symptoms for about ten days, which makes the spread of infection even more likely. A person may be infected for almost two weeks and unknowingly spread bacteria all over the place.  Even after they are diagnosed, it is difficult for them to avoid spreading such a highly communicable disease.  Carriers are even more likely to spread MRSA than infected persons, for they often never find out that they carry this disease.  Being unaware of the way in which they are spreading deadly bacteria, they make contact with thousands of objects and people all over the place and leave the staph bacteria behind them.

Not only do infected people and carriers alike spread bacteria through contact with surfaces and other objects, but the likelihood of the infected person touching a person susceptible to infection is great-especially in health-care facilities where a surprising 7 percent of staff carries MRSA.  Even in the community at large, a full 2 percent carry the disease and many of these carriers are unaware of their condition and the harm it causes other people.  In fact, although fewer community members carry the disease, those who do carry MRSA have a better chance of spreading it due to their lack of education.

Most health care professionals carrying MRSA have been taught about the ways in which it is transmitted and take precautionary steps in order not to spread it to the highly susceptible hospital population. The ease with which MRSA is spread is quite alarming, especially considering how severe this infection can be.  The best way to prevent this disease spread is through education-if a person knows that he or she is a carrier of MRSA, then he or she is better equipped to take the preventative steps necessary to curbing the spread of disease.