Overview
Introduction
MRSA is a strain of Staphylococcus aureus that resists methicillin and other beta lactam antibiotics commonly used for susceptible staphylococcal infections.
MRSA is a strain of Staphylococcus aureus that resists methicillin and other beta-lactam antibiotics commonly used for susceptible staphylococcal infections. The organism may be present without illness, called colonization, or it may invade tissue and cause infection. Both states can contribute to transmission. For the LVN/LPN, the central task is to separate those two clinical meanings while interrupting contact spread. A positive nasal screen does not by itself prove an active wound or bloodstream infection, but it does identify a patient who may transmit MRSA. A draining wound, fever, spreading erythema, hypotension, altered mental status, or reduced urine output changes the priority from routine prevention to prompt assessment and escalation.