MRSA danger?

Question:

before being admitted to the hospital i was treating open wounds on my boyfriends lower legs,now we know he has lymphodema and the open wounds contain the MRSA staph. Should i also be treated with an antibotic ? He is receiving iv antibotic. He was treated 9 yrs ago for fresh eatting bactrica....could this MRSA been developing since then ?

Answers:
First of all MRSA is treatable with Vancomycin. It takes quite a while to get rid of and is highly contagious. If it is not treated aggressively and properly, it could spread to the bloodstream and cause bigger problems. If you were not wearing gloves when you were treating the wounds, I hope you didn't have any open cuts, scrapes, or other breaks in your skin. It is transferred by direct contact, so I hope you wore gloves and washed your hands very well after treating the open wounds on your bf's legs. As for you being treated with an antibiotic, only a doctor can make that decision. If you are worried about it, ask your bf's doctor that is treating the infection for advice.
The flesh eating bacteria that you mentioned is a strain of bacteria called Strep and is unrelated to the Staph Aureus causing the infection in his legs.

Other Answers:
the MRSA is probably not related to the infection 9 years ago. It wouldn't hurt to have your self checked for this if you had direct contact with his open wounds. MRSA is a very contagious form of staph. I've seen it spread through an entire wing of a hospital in just a couple of days. Make sure you clean any area that may have come in contact with these wounds with bleach. Hand washing is very important in preventing the spreading of MRSA. Good luck.

I am in agreement with TLM. I, too, have seen MRSA spread like wild fire throughout my own patients. Handwashing and/or use of a hand cleaner like Purell is effective in preventing spread of this bacteria. When you visit your boyfriend, always, always wear a cover gown, mask and gloves while you are in his room since he's in contact isolation now.

Again I agree with TLM -- it's unlikely that he's had MRSA for the past nine years. .

One last thing, because of your exposure do as TLM suggests and get screened STAT. You don't want it to colonize and become a permanent fixture. If you're positive, your provider will prescribe one of the antibiotics used to treat it.

FYI: MRSA is treated with more than just vancomycin (generic name). The drugs of choice are vanco & Bactrim. Other abxs are Synercid, Cleocin, Levaquin, Cubicin, Targocid and Zyvox. Your doc will go with what she/he is most familiar with.

I agree with what most of the respondents have said, however MRSA is contagious if your immune system is suppressed. Their are tons of people who have MRSA and don't even realize before they get treatment. The person preparing your hamburger at McDonalds can have MRSA. I remember when I first became an RN I worked on an infectious Disease unit, I found out I was pregnant,not long after and was terrfied that I would catch MRSA and give it to my unborn child, because some pts aren't isolated for it until their test comes back positive for MRSA, any way I talke to an infectious disease Doctor on the unit and he told me just follow your basic handwashing techniques. You should be fine talk to an infectious disease Dr.he should be able to put your mind at ease. Good luck

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MRSA danger?

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