Preventing MRSA Infection

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Preventing MRSA Infection

Question:

I work in a cramped office. The person in the cubicle next to mine has MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) infection. Am I at risk for catching the infection as well?

Answer:

You are at low risk, and you can do a few things to make your risk nearly zero.

First, a little about MRSA. Staphylococcus aureus is a common kind of bacteria that many people carry on their bodies. When antibiotics were first invented, penicillin could kill this bacterium, but then it developed resistance to penicillin. That means penicillin could no longer kill the bacterium. A newer antibiotic (called methicillin) was developed that could kill it. But the bacteria developed resistance to methicillin, too, and so the new, resistant strains were called methicillin-resistant Staph. Aureus, or MRSA.

There are a few antibiotics that can kill these bacteria. But as you might imagine, the bacteria are now developing resistance to these. We are at war with the bacteria, trying to keep one step ahead of them.

Strains of MRSA were originally found mainly in hospitals and other health care settings where many people were treated with antibiotics. Over the past decade, however, strains of MRSA have increasingly been found in the community.

Many people carry MRSA on their skin and in their noses, usually without knowing it. And the MRSA often do not make them sick. When MRSA causes an infection, it usually involves the skin.

MRSA is passed from one person to another by touch: if your hands touch an infected area on another person, the bacteria can be passed to you. A person sitting in the next cubicle is no threat to you unless you touch them.

You need to take these precautions:

• Avoid touching any infected area on the person's skin. (Pretty obvious, I know, but you'd be surprised how often people will do this.)

• If you shake hands with the person, wash your hands or use a hand sanitizing gel right afterwards -- even if the person's hands and fingers are not suffering from infection. They still might carry the MRSA bacteria.

• If you have any cuts or scrapes on your skin, be careful. It is much easier for bacteria (not just MRSA) to enter your body and cause an infection through such wounds.

In short, you have a very low, and temporary, risk of MRSA from the person in the next cubicle. And a few smart actions can protect you further. Hopefully treatment will cure the person's MRSA infection soon. That'll be good news for both of you.

Anthony Komaroff, M.D., is professor of medicine and editor-in-chief of Harvard Health Publications at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Komaroff also is senior physician and was formerly director of the Division of General Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Dr. Komaroff has served on various advisory committees to the federal government, and is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Last updated:	July 20, 2009