As long as people continue to develop medications to combat diseases, the bacteria, viruses and germs that cause such diseases will continue to evolve strains that are resistant to those medications. That’s the case with methicillinresistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, an infection caused by the staphylococcus aureus bacteria.

Staph bacteria are nothing new. In fact, an estimated one-third of the population carries staph bacteria on their skin or in their noses, and most of those people remain completely healthy. Typically, staph bacteria would be passed from person to person by skin-to-skin contact with no significant negative effects. Trouble arose mainly when staph bacteria entered the body, usually through an open wound or cut, causing skin inflammation, irritation and other symptoms that were treated with commonly used antibiotics.

And that brings us to MRSA.

Sometime during the 1960s, a new strain of staph bacteria was detected in hospitals, nursing homes and medical treatment facilities. These “new and improved” staph bacteria could not be treated with the usual antibiotics, such as penicillin or the related drug methicillin. It had a resistance to those medications. While the new tougher strain of staph was a frustration to healthcare professionals, the idea of disease-causing bacteria that developed a resistance to medication was not unusual or surprising.

Then in the 1990s, that tougher strain of staph bacteria, MRSA, began showing up in the general population with devastating results. MRSA infections often begin with the same symptoms of an ordinary staph infection: skin inflammation and irritation that can resemble small pimples or insect bites. Yet those minor symptoms can quickly intensify and spread to other parts of the body, including the internal organs, resulting in severe and lifethreatening illness.

In a recent case of MRSA infection involving an Ohio high school student, initial symptoms indicated stomach flu or pneumonia, until his fever reached as high as 105 degrees and he was rushed to the hospital where MRSA was diagnosed. But it didn’t end there. The infection led to a variety of medical problems including autoimmune disease that required chemotherapy treatment. Most frightening of all, perhaps: According to newspaper reports, the student did not know how he had become infected.

MRSA bacteria are passed easily from person to person through normal daily contact. They can even be transmitted through contact with objects that have been touched by someone carrying the bacteria — faucets, towels, doorknobs or clothing, for example. Ordinary contact and transmission do not necessarily lead to infection however; the bacteria usually enter the body through open cuts or abrasions on the skin. When symptoms such as high fever, low blood pressure, joint pain, severe headache, shortness of breath and a pervasive rash are associated with a small infected cut or abrasion, seek medical help immediately: They could be signs of MRSA infection.

Places to be especially cautious about the transmission of MRSA bacteria include public restrooms and locker rooms. It’s common sense (but bears repeating) that you should never share towels, razors or athletic equipment with others and you should always wash your hands thoroughly after using the restroom or locker room facilities. Such simple practices really do limit the spread of disease.

Antibiotics were always the medical community’s “wonder drugs.” Ironically, it is believed that MRSA is able to proliferate today because of a tendency to overuse antibiotics in the treatment of colds, flu, viral infections and simple bacterial infections that will clear up on their own. Some antibiotics, such as vancomycin, remain effective against MRSA, however because of the bacteria’s ability to develop resistance to antibiotics many physicians now prefer to treat minor MRSA infections without antibiotics. No wonder.

Reduce Your Risks of MRSA Infection

Keep personal items personal. Don’t share razors, towels or similar items with anyone.

Keep wounds covered. Cuts, scrapes, and abrasions should be kept clean and bandaged until healed. Clean the affected area and change the bandage daily.

Wash your hands. Frequent hand washing with soap and water or alcoholbased sanitizers helps prevent the transmission of MRSA.

Get tested. If you have a skin infection, go to your doctor for appropriate treatment and asked to be tested for MRSA.