Mrsa Boils
Early Signs of MRSA—Boils and Other Symptoms
Early diagnosis is one of the keys to fighting MRSA. Boils and fever are the most typical signs, but even though MRSA has started to receive a bit of press these days, many people fail to get diagnosed until the symptoms become severe. A delayed diagnosis can often mean the difference between a positive resolution to MRSA and severe complications (including, sometimes, death).
What is MRSA?
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is what is sometimes called a “Super Bug.” This is because MRSA is a type of bacterium that is highly resistant to antibiotics including the penicillin family (of which the methicillin from MRSA’s name is only one type).
MRSA first developed in hospitals and was thought only to occur in hospital settings. It is still prevalent in hospital settings, where inattentive hospital workers who hurry between patients without properly observing universal sterilization protocols will often transmit it to those under their care. This medical origin does a lot to explain MRSA’s unique resistance to typical medical treatments. MRSA is a rapidly mutating bacterium that quickly evolves to meet the effects of the typical anti-biotic treatments.
Alarmingly, MRSA has now escaped from its medical setting and medical professionals have identified it as residing in the general community. Wherever people congregate and come into contact, you should consider as a hot spot for MRSA transmittal. Contact sports like football, locker rooms, spas, schools and prisons---anywhere where people come into contact--is a place where someone can pickup the MRSA bacteria.
This is because MRSA is primarily a skin borne bacterium. It lives and thrives on the human skin and can continue to do so without severe symptoms (some individuals may simply have rashes or mild irritation) for years. However, if people injure themselves, has a break in the skin, or otherwise ingests the bacterium; the virus may lead to further complications. (Many individuals also carry MRSA in their nasal cavity.)
The First Sign of MRSA—Boils and Fever
When a patient experiences a break in the skin, however, the MRSA virus is likely to create complications. MRSA develops quite quickly within the first two days after exposure. Often the virus will first presents as red bumps or a minor rash. These small MRSA boils seem rather innocuous, at first, and the patient is likely to have a bit of fever but to think little more of it.
However, by the third day of infection, MRSA will become entrenched in the sufferer’s tissues. Not long after the boils become larger, more painful, and pus-filled. By this point, the patient has developed a serious and difficult to treat case.
Treatment
The medical community has not yet developed an agreed upon treatment for patients with MRSA. Because MRSA resists all the typical anti-biotics, physicians will typically treat it with less frequently used anti-biotics in an attempt to outflank the quickly evolving bacterium. Unfortunately, these attempts themselves often lead to further resistance by MRSA.
Researchers estimate that 18,000 Americans died from complications related to MRSA last year. With at least two strains of the bacteria present in hospitals and in the general community, researchers expect this number to climb. Other studies show that MRSA extends hospital visits for patients and increases the number of complications as well.
Patients most vulnerable to the MRSA virus are those whose immune systems are already under strain due to some other condition. Thus, recovering hospital patients, HIV-positive individuals, children, and the elderly are just some of those who are at increased risk from MRSA.
The one silver lining to this super bug is that it is forcing hospital and hospital staff to increase their vigilance of universal protocols, thus decreasing our likelihood of catching this horrible condition or others like it.