How is MRSA treated?
It is important to understand the difference between colonisation and infection with MRSA. Colonisation is when MRSA is present on or in your body without causing illness whilst infection is when MRSA is making you sick. Colonisation with MRSA is only treated to prevent the spread of the MRSA to other patients at risk. Treatment may include the application of surface antibiotics e.g. to the inside of the nose, and washing with disinfectants. (See the Association for Medical Microbiologists website for more details). Although MRSA is resistant to some antibiotics there are a few that can still treat it effectively. Vancomycin and Linezolid are two examples although resistance to vancomycin has now been observed in some MRSA strains. See the US Center for Disease Control & Prevention factsheet for more information.
