MRSA Infection (cont.)

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Medical Author:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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MRSA Infection Risk Factors

Risk factors for getting MRSA include playing contact sports, sharing towels or other personal items, having any condition that suppresses immune system function (for example, HIV, cancer, or chemotherapy), unsanitary or crowded living conditions (dormitories or military barracks), being a health-care worker, and young or old age. Almost anything that leads to breaks in the skin (for example, scratches, abrasions, or punctures) will increase infection risk. Hospitalized patients are at risk of having health-care workers and MRSA carriers accidently transfer MRSA between patients. Unfortunately, hospitalized patients usually have sites (for example, IV lines, surgical incision sites) that are easily contaminated with MRSA. Consequently, direct contact with MRSA organisms on surfaces or on infected people are the highest risk factors for getting MRSA infections.

MRSA Infection Symptoms and Signs»

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