MRSA And Staph

My two year old had a boil that was MRSA and it went away with cream over a few weeks, maybe month. But they said as long as you don't touch it while it is leaking, you shouldn't catch it. So as long as she keeps it covered (where is it??) and like someone else said, she doesn't share towels, etc. your kids should be fine. She should have it cultured though to treat it correctly. Also I think something that helped with my son is keeping the area dry. It was on his hip right where the diaper tab was so we started using a powder and that helped I think.

I had chronic staph infections on my face for a year when I was seventeen years old. It seemed that I got a new one every time I got my period (maybe more run down?) until I was put on antibiotics for a month. They looked like single boils- just as you are describing, so your mother in law may indeed have staph. Best of luck- I wouldn't worry too much- no one else in my family got them from me.

as long as she is washing her hands after touching it or keeping it covered and your kids arent touching it i wouldnt worry too much about your kids possibly getting one. my husband gets them and i nor my daughter have gotten one and i clean his when he gets them. i know its a scarey thing but as long as shes taking the precautions the kids will be ok. also kflex never worked on my husband so they used another medication which we found out hes allergic to as soon as the infection clears up. anyways i hope this helps.

My husband has a MRSA infection and when I looked it up on line there seems to be so much conflicting info about it! Some sites said it's isn't contagious-- which of course it is, but it's the WAY it is contracted. Sharing bites of food is not a way to get it, from what I understand. It's more a skin-to-skin contact, like her infection touching their open cut, so you have to watch for things like sharing towels, which I'm sure you don't do, right? My understanding is that MRSA is a type of staph infection that gets into an open cut. Also, my understanding is that MRSA is extremely painful. Is she in a LOT of pain at the site of the boil?

The best way to find out is go back int othe Dr. and get it checked. It could definately be staph that did not get completely under control. Don't mess with it. Especially if you have young ones. Tell grandma to take care of or no kids til she does... Sorry but sometimes you have to do "tough love" with grandma's too.

We ended up in the hospital e/r about 2 yrs ago from my daughter's bout w/an ordinary staph infection. They did do the MRSA nasal test which freaked me out, but they did it as a precaution b/c she had a high fever, chills, almost passed out - all that fun stuff. But the results came back negative & the rash she had ended up getting much worse before it got better. The only way to describe the marks would be if someone put a cigarette out on her skin - they would start out small, grow in size then bubble up and pop. When they popped they would ooze for a while. She was prescribed a steroid cream to apply a few times a day and an antibiotic. When I questioned them about all of the other symptoms they said that this can be very common w/staph. If the only one your mother-in-law has is the the bump I would just insist that they do a culture to see exactly what it is. I can totally understand the concern you have, just as your family should. Good luck!

When I was younger I got a boil that was regular staff. It was a BIG boil! But it seems that nowadays the most common staff is MRSA. It is everywhere! Literally. Your MIL just has to be VERY careful about keeping her wounds covered. The doctor will inform her of important information. We have a friend who has it... we are around her a lot and we have never contracted it. Best of luck with this one. Don't stress about it until you have all the information from the dr.

I would try to get with her doctor. He may not be able to discuss her case with you but he can listen to your concerns. If it is MRSA then he will probably let her know that it is serious but knowing how much time she spends with your kids might help him to know how important it is for her to understand. He doesn't have to tell her he spoke with you or anything just emphasize to her that spreading the disease to kids is easy and very dangerous. That way you don't have to be the bad guy.

hi~
Unfortunately only a laboratory test can show whether you actually have MRSA or not.

here is some info on MRSA from the CDC (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/mrsa/):
A) Are staph and MRSA infections treatable?
Yes. Many staph skin infections may be treated by draining the abscess or boil and may not require antibiotics. Drainage of skin boils or abscesses should only be done by a healthcare provider.
However, some staph and MRSA infections are treated with antibiotics. If you are given an antibiotic, take all of the doses, even if the infection is getting better, unless your doctor tells you to stop taking it. Do not share antibiotics with other people or save unfinished antibiotics to use at another time.
If after visiting your healthcare provider the infection is not getting better after a few days, contact them again. If other people you know or live with get the same infection tell them to go to their healthcare provider.

B) How common are staph and MRSA infections?
Staph bacteria are one of the most common causes of skin infection in the United States and are a common cause of pneumonia, surgical wound infections, and bloodstream infections. The majority of MRSA infections occur among patients in hospitals or other healthcare settings; however, it is becoming more common in the community setting. Data from a prospective study in 2003, suggests that 12% of clinical MRSA infections are community-associated, but this varies by geographic region and population

C) You can prevent spreading staph or MRSA skin infections to others by following these steps:
1) Cover your wound. Keep areas of the skin affected by MRSA covered. Keep wounds that are draining or have pus covered with clean, dry bandages. Follow your healthcare provider's instructions on proper care of the wound. Pus from infected wounds can contain staph and MRSA, so keeping the infection covered will help prevent the spread to others. Bandages or tape can be discarded with the regular trash.

2) Clean your hands. You, your family, and others in close contact should wash their hands frequently with soap and warm water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, especially after changing the bandage or touching the infected wound.

3) Do not share personal items. Avoid sharing personal items such as uniforms, personal protective equipment, clothing, towels, washcloths or razors that may have had contact with the infected wound or bandage.

4) Talk to your doctor. Tell any healthcare providers who treat you that you have or had a staph or MRSA skin infection.

Other facts:
* While 25% to 30% of the population is colonized with staph (meaning that bacteria are present, but not causing an infection with staph), approximately 1% is colonized with MRSA.

* MRSA is transmitted most frequently by direct skin-to-skin contact or contact with shared items or surfaces that have come into contact with someone else's infection (e.g., towels, used bandages).

* MRSA skin infections can occur anywhere. However, some settings have factors that make it easier for MRSA to be transmitted. These factors, referred to as the 5 C's, are as follows: Crowding, frequent skin-to-skin Contact, Compromised skin (i.e., cuts or abrasions), Contaminated items and surfaces, and lack of Cleanliness. Locations where the 5 C's are common include schools, dormitories, military barracks, households, correctional facilities, and daycare centers.

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From: http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/health/info/infectious...
Prevent spread in your family (if one person is infected or "colonized")

* Encourage showers instead of baths.
* Periodically clean any bath toys with bleach and water or run them through the dishwasher. Avoid bath toys that can not be thoroughly cleaned such as those with squeakers.
* All members of the household should routinely practice good hand washing with soap and water. Generally, regular soap is fine for hand washing. Rubbing your hands with soap and water loosens bacteria, while rinsing with running water removes bacteria from your hands
* Use separate towels and washcloths for each person in your family.
* Avoid contact with persons who have draining sores. If you help care for someone with sores, wash your hands before and after caring for the skin sores.

good luck - i hope all turns out well.

My husband recently had a staph infection (the doctor didn't bother taking a culture to see if it was MRSA) but he put him on an antibiotic and recommended that it was most important to put a heat compress on it several times a day. My husband would heat up an old, wet dish towel in the microwave and wrap it around his leg (where the infection was). My 2.5 year old and I never caught anything from him, despite very close contact. The heat helps to drain the infection naturally, but you have to keep doing the compresses for a month or so. My husband still puts a compress on his leg.