Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA): Prevention and Treatment

Course Of Antibiotics

If an abscess related to MRSA is not resolved with drainage, doctors often resort to a course of antibiotics to treat it. These antibiotics include doxycycline, minocycline, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and clindamycin. The drugs and how they are taken depend on the needs of the patient. Sometimes they can be taken by the patient at home. The course usually lasts between seven and ten days, and it is important for the patient to finish the course their doctor set for them even if they feel better before the finish. If the patient has had to be hospitalized, they’ll receive the antibiotics intravenously then continue to take them after they’re discharged. They’ll either take them by mouth or continue to receive them intravenously with the help of a visiting nurse. The patient might need to take these antibiotics for as long as two months.

Complications Linked To MRSA

The consequences of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus range from inconsequential to life-threatening. Complications linked to MRSA include abscesses in the central nervous system, which includes the brain and the spinal cord. The patient can develop a connective tissue disorder called cellulitis; inflammation of the membrane that encloses the heart, called endocarditis; and infection of their bone marrow, known as osteomyelitis. MRSA can set up infections in the patient’s throat, joints and sinuses and can lead to pneumonia. Other patients have inflammation of their veins that lead to blood clots. Complications linked to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus also include urinary tract infections and toxic shock syndrome. Other patients may develop septicemia, otherwise known as blood poisoning, or ultimately suffer organ failure.