Question 1

my wife was recently diagnosed with "heavy growth of mrsa" at the site of her abscess. she was prescribed meds and her wound is covered, am i safe?

Accepted Answer

MRSA: Hello,

Good hand washing hygiene is very important if you will be changing the bandages  of the wound.

If you will not have any contact with the wound then you will be alright.

That being said, MRSA is very common and the most important thing is finding the right antibiotic to treat the infection.

Question 2

hi i was told i had mrsa on my skin & have been told to decolonisation for 5 days. the swab was taken 3 weeks ago. could it if spread by then. and doe?

Accepted Answer

Not a diagnosis: Swabs from normal people often culture these bacteria. We begin with a diagnosis and then might take a culture to help decide on exact therapy. Do you have an infection on your skin? Where? What matters is the appearance and symptoms, not so much the culture. The culture was done 3 weeks ago? Whatever it was should be healed.

Question 3

can you have mrsa if nasal swab comes back negative?

Accepted Answer

Yes: It is still possible to have MRSA somewhere else on or in the body, even if it is not in the nose. However, the nose is a warm, moist place that is a useful place to look for the bacteria.

Question 4

tested +mrsa nasal swab before having surgery. what should i do?

Accepted Answer

Tell your Dr.: Let your Dr. know.  Depending on what kind of surgery you're having, your Dr. may want to use antibiotics.

Question 5

swab on surgical wound  tested positive for mrsa. no antibiotics have been started.  is this contagious to visitors?

Accepted Answer

It could be.: Swab cultures only tell you what is on the surface of the skin/ wound. If the site is not showing the other signs of infection( redness, swelling, warmth, drainage) then you my not have an infection. We refer to it as a colonization or contamination. Topical Bactroban (mupirocin) my help clear it. As far as passing it on I would suggest not sharing a bath towel and wash you stuff seperately from your family.

Question 6

my dermatologist did a swab test from the flakes on my skin since it was peeling and they said i have mrsa. they gave me bactrim. is it effective?

Accepted Answer

For what?: It is effective for various things. Growing MRSA from flakes of skin is NOT a diagnosis. Such a culture will grow mrsa from many normal people. ASK THE DERMATOLOGIST TO EXPLAIN THE DIAGNOSIS and for details about exactly what you should expect.

Question 7

if mrsa swab of infected area is negative after infection, is mrsa gone? does an infection mean i am a carrier? do i need to follow up w/ nasal swab?

Accepted Answer

MRSA carriage : There is s lot of media attention and literature on MRSA in recent yrs. resulting in some confusion. If you had MRSA diagnosed before, thud chances are that you are colonized with it. Thx good news is that you can decrease colonization with proper monitoring and treatment as indicated.

Question 8

is it unusual to have sinus infection mrsa without fever.  i tested positive on culture that was suctioned rather than swab, but i don't have fever.?

Accepted Answer

Colonization: Many of us have staph, and some have mrsa, present in our nose, groin and skin without any invasion of tissue or infection. Colonization does not have any symptoms but the carrier can transmit infection to others. See this site for more information.
http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/epidemiology/surveillance/mrsa/.

Question 9

will applying antibacterial ointment and cleaning a suspected bacterial or impetigo infection with soap cause a potential false positive on a bacterial test/swab for it or mrsa?

Accepted Answer

: No. Treatment sounds fine. If improving, keep it up for 5-7 days

Question 10

my 12 year old son wants to get his ear pierced, he had a positive swab for mrsa when he was born although no clinical infection. ?

Accepted Answer

Similar risk to all: I would not assume that that swab in infancy has anything to do with whats on his body today. We all go through waves of skin germs that transiently occupy our body surface.MRSA was uncommon decades ago but dominates the scene today.As many as 70% of simple skin abscesses today are MRSA.Proper care at the time of and after the piercing should reduce risk.

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Doctor answers about:

Mrsa swab sites

A member asked:

My wife was recently diagnosed with "heavy growth of mrsa" at the site of her abscess. she was prescribed meds and her wound is covered, am i safe?

A member asked:

Hi i was told i had mrsa on my skin & have been told to decolonisation for 5 days. the swab was taken 3 weeks ago. could it if spread by then. and doe?

A member asked:

Can you have mrsa if nasal swab comes back negative?

A member asked:

Tested +mrsa nasal swab before having surgery. what should i do?

A member asked:

Swab on surgical wound tested positive for mrsa. no antibiotics have been started. is this contagious to visitors?

A member asked:

My dermatologist did a swab test from the flakes on my skin since it was peeling and they said i have mrsa. they gave me bactrim. is it effective?

A member asked:

If mrsa swab of infected area is negative after infection, is mrsa gone? does an infection mean i am a carrier? do i need to follow up w/ nasal swab?

A member asked:

Is it unusual to have sinus infection mrsa without fever. i tested positive on culture that was suctioned rather than swab, but i don't have fever.?

A member asked:

Will applying antibacterial ointment and cleaning a suspected bacterial or impetigo infection with soap cause a potential false positive on a bacterial test/swab for it or mrsa?

A member asked:

My 12 year old son wants to get his ear pierced, he had a positive swab for mrsa when he was born although no clinical infection. ?

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