MRSA in Hospital Patients What is MRSA? Staphylococcus (STAFF-
ih-low-KOCK-us) aureus (ARE-ee-us) is a type of bacteria, or
germ. These bacteria are often called “staph.” Staph bacteria
can live in the nose and on the skin. 1 in 5 people has these
bacteria. In most cases, staph bacteria cause no infection. But
in some people, staph can cause serious infections such as
pneumonia, wound infections, and blood infections. Methicillin
(meth-ih-SILL-in) is an antibiotic often used to treat staph
infections. When staph are “methicillin resistant,” most
antibiotics cannot kill the bacteria. Methicillin-resistant
staphylococcus aureus bacteria are called “MRSA” for short. Who
gets MRSA? People more likely to get infected or “colonized”
(CALL-un-eye-zd) with MRSA are those who: - Are very ill - Are
in the hospital for a long time - Have a serious disease that
harms the body’s ability to fight infection - Have taken many
antibiotics What is colonization? Some people can pick up and
carry MRSA on their skin or in their no