Why is MRSA dangerous?
MRSA can only be treated with the glycopeptide group of antibiotics such as vancomycin, which are expensive, can only be given intravenously and are associated with renal impairment. In 2002 the latest figures from the PHLS revealed that MRSA infection rates have reached a plateau but that new strains of vancomycin resistant S. Aureus (VRSA) are emerging. The first known case of VRSA was reported in Japan in 1997 and although still rare in incidence it must not be ignored. The PHLS reported the first case of intermediate resistance to vancomycin in England and Wales in 2002. This development is potentially hazardous with disastrous consequences as it reduces the treatment options for those patients with MRSA. MRSA is a common isolated organism in postoperative wound infections, but can also be isolated from intravenous catheter tips, chest drains and burn wounds. MRSA was identified as the cause of surgical site infection in almost 25% of all wounds examined, and the commonest staphylo
