Why is S. aureus a problem for surgery patients?
Many surgery patients have an increased risk of developing a S. aureus infection for two primary reasons: 1) Surgery patients will have a surgical wound that might become infected. S. aureus is one of the most common bacteria causing wound infections. 2) Bacteria resistant to many antibiotics are more common in the hospital. Resistant organisms, such as S. aureus, are harder to treat and therefore prevention of infection is the goal of vaccines. 3) What is the Vaccine being used? This is an investigational vaccine that is being tested to see if it can help prevent S. aureus infections. The vaccine is made from a small part of the bacterial cell wall and is NOT infectious 4) Why a vaccine? Vaccines are given to prevent a disease before it occurs. They stimulate the bodys natural defenses (immune system) to increase substances (antibodies) used to prevent infections. Just as the flu vaccine is used to prevent you from getting the flu, this vaccine is being tested to see if it can be used
