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MRSA - Symptom

Alternative Names

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA); Hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA)

Symptoms:

Staph skin infections cause a red, swollen, and painful area on the skin. Other symptoms may include:

Drainage of pus or other fluids from the site
Fever
Skin abscess
Warmth around the infected area

Symptoms of a more serious staph infection may include:

Chest pain
Chills
Fatigue
Fever
General ill feeling (malaise)
Headache
Muscle aches
Rash
Shortness of breath

Signs and tests:

Depending on your symptoms, your doctor may recommend the following tests to detect and confirm the bacteria causing the infection:

Blood culture
Culture of the drainage (fluid) from the infection
Skin culture from the infected site
Sputum culture
Urine culture

Reviewed last on: 9/28/2008
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Jatin M. Vyas, PhD, MD, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Siegel JD, Rhinehart E, Jackson M, Chiarello L; Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee. Management of multi-drug resistant organisms in healthcare settings, 2006. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed January 25, 2008.

Nicolle L. Community-acquired MRSA: a practitioner's guide. CMAJ. 2006;175:145.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Epidemiology and management of MRSA in the Community. October 26, 2007. Accessed January 25, 2008.

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