Understanding MRSA -- Symptoms
What Are the Symptoms of MRSA?
The symptoms of MRSA infection depend on where you've been infected.
MRSA most often appears as a skin infection, like a boil or abscess. It also might infect a surgical wound. In either case, the area would look:
Understanding MRSA
MRSA is called a "super bug" because infections are resistant to many common antibiotics. Here's what you need to know about drug-resistant staph:
- Swollen
- Red
- Painful
- Pus filled
Many people who have a staph skin infection often mistake it for a spider bite.
If staph infects the lungs and causes pneumonia, you might have:
- Shortness of breath
- Fever
- Cough
- Chills
MRSA can cause many other symptoms, because it can infect the urinary tract or the bloodstream.
Very rarely, staph can result in necrotizing fasciitis, or "flesh-eating" bacterial infections. These are serious skin infections that spread very quickly. While frightening, only a handful of necrotizing fasciitis cases has been reported.
Call Your Doctor About MRSA If:
You have signs of active infection; in most cases, MRSA is easily treated. MRSA infection can be serious or -- rarely -- fatal.
If you are already being treated for an infection, watch for signs that your medicine isn't working. If you are taking an antibiotic, call your doctor if:
- The infection is no better after three or four days
- The infection keeps getting worse
- You develop a fever, or your fever gets worse
People who are ill or have a compromised immune system have a higher risk of getting serious MRSA infections. If you have a condition that lowers your immunity, call your doctor right away if you think that you might have an infection.
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