SV hospital seeing rise in community acquired MRSA cases

By Dana Cole
Herald/Review

Published on Friday, December 28, 2007

Hand washing is extremely important now more than ever. SIERRA VISTA — Know as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, this staph infection is extremely resistant to most antibiotics.

It has become one of the country’s most common causes of skin infection and is considered a rapidly emerging public health problem.

At one time MRSA was known as the “Hospital Superbug.”

“That’s because it was found in hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities,” said Ann Kuhl, infection control coordinator for Sierra Vista Regional Health Center. “But in recent years, we have seen a community acquired form of MRSA. In fact, the number of community acquired cases has jumped exponentially in the past five years.”

More than half of all MRSA cases seen at the Sierra Vista hospital are the community acquired form and have nothing to do with the hospital, Kuhl said.

“The two types look and act differently, so it’s easy for us to track,” she added. “The community acquired MRSA manifests as a skin infection and often starts out as a small red lesion that grows quickly and is generally localized.”

While hospital-associated MRSA was first identified in 1968, the community acquired form is fairly new, Kuhl said.

There are steps that can be taken to reduce the incidence of community acquired MRSA infections.

“Good hygiene is key,” Kuhl stated. “Wash your hands regularly, with soap. All open cuts or sores need to be kept clean.”

The smallest scrapes, paper cuts, animal scratches, as well as open skin lesions, are an invitation for MRSA infections. “Staph, in general, if you give it a way to enter into the body, can become a big problem,” Kuhl warns. “We just can’t emphasize thorough and frequent hand washing enough. Hand sanitizers are very effective.”

Taking basic contact precautions and keeping home environments clean also are imperative for good infection control. Clusters of community acquired MRSA skin infections have been documented in athletes participating in contact sports, military recruits, IV drug users and prisoners. Other risk factors include close skin-to-skin contact, exposure to contaminated items and surfaces and crowded living conditions.

The bacteria Staphylococcus aureus is present in many people and typically causes no problems. It’s estimated that about a third of the population carry it in the nose, throat and on the skin. But if it gets inside the body, such as under the skin, it can cause serious, potentially fatal infections. If staph infects the lungs, it can cause pneumonia.

“Staphylococcus aureus becomes a health problem when it’s resistant to commonly used antibiotics,” Kuhl said. “Staphylococcus aureus that is resistant to Methicillin is MRSA.”

More than 50 percent of the staph isolates seen by SVRHC are resistant to the usual antibiotics that are used to treat them, Kuhl said.

While most healthy people will never become seriously ill from this bacteria, it can be a health threat for young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. Despite documented risk factors, Kuhl warns there are no patterns when it comes to community acquired MRSA, which further emphasizes the need for everyone to take extra precautions.

The hospital is planning a three-month-long MRSA prevention campaign, an educational program that all 800 hospital employees will be required to attend.

“We’re using this program as a reminder for our staff, emphasizing the importance of good hand hygiene and why we need to take extra precautions,” Kuhl said. “When a patient comes in with MRSA, it’s our policy to take special precautions when working with that person.”