Mrsa what is the symptoms

This is known as "colonisation" or "carrying" MRSA. Getting MRSA on your skin will not make you ill, and it may go away in a few hours, days, weeks or months without you noticing. But it could cause an infection if it gets deeper into your body. Healthy people, including children and pregnant women, are not usually at risk of MRSA infections. Having MRSA on your skin does not cause any symptoms and does not make you ill.

You will not usually know if you have it unless you have a screening test before going into hospital. If you need to go into hospital and it's likely you'll be staying overnight, you may have a simple screening test to check your skin for MRSA before you're admitted. This is normally done at a pre-admission clinic or a GP surgery. A nurse will run a cotton bud swab over your skin so it can be checked for MRSA.

Swabs may be taken from several places, such as your nose, throat, armpits, groin or any damaged skin. Do not try to squeeze it or drain it yourself. If a minor skin injury starts to hurt — a lot, much more than seems normal — be on the lookout. Cellulitis is a deep skin infection caused by staph or streptococcus strep bacteria, including MRSA. Cellulitis leads to redness, swelling, pain and heat in the skin, sometimes in a large, diffuse area. Impetigo, a skin infection most commonly seen in children, is usually confined to the upper levels of skin.

It can looks very similar to MRSA in some cases, with sores and redness. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. General Information. Minus Related Pages. On This Page. What is MRSA? In Healthcare Settings In places such as a hospital or nursing home, MRSA can cause severe problems such as bloodstream infections , pneumonia , or surgical site infections. Who is at risk? How is MRSA spread in the community? How common is MRSA? Clean hands often, and clean your body regularly, especially after exercise.

Keep cuts, scrapes, and wounds clean and covered until healed. Avoid sharing personal items such as towels and razors. For example, health care workers can help prevent HA-MRSA by washing their hands with soap and water or using hand sanitizer before and after each clinical appointment.

Hospital rooms, surfaces and equipment, as well as laundry items, need to be properly disinfected and cleaned regularly. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products.

Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus MRSA infection is caused by a type of staph bacteria that's become resistant to many of the antibiotics used to treat ordinary staph infections.

Staph infection Open pop-up dialog box Close. Staph infection MRSA infections start out as small red bumps that can quickly turn into deep, painful abscesses. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.