M.R.S.A or mersa?

[Pepper The Cat]

I am taking an informal poll - just for my own curiostiy.

Do you pronounce MRSA (part 1) as

a) M. R. S. A. ( each letter pronounced on its own)

or

b) mersa.

And (part 2)

Are you

A) Canadian

or

B) American.

The reason I ask is that I have only heard it as M.R.S.A - yet in several instance involving Americans I've heard it as mersa. So I am curious to see if this is a regional thing, a country thing, or something else altogether!

[pennyaline]

"Mersa." United States

[cherrybreeze, ADN, RN]

Mersa.

American.

I think the reason being, it's more "efficient" to say.

[babyburperrn]

I wonder if it's regional. When I worked in Massachusetts, I heard it pronounced as Mersa. Since I've lived in the California Bay Area, I have only heard M.R.S.A.

[robbnp22]

MRSA...>American...

[K+MgSO4, BSN]

Just for a truly international perspective Ireland / Australia M.R.S.A :)

[Jdl2002]

mersa. USA, specifically West Virginia. I met a nurse from North Carolina once who spelled it out.

[frumpter]

mersa --- American

[SandraCVRN]

mersa/US

Moved back to TX 4 years ago and everyone down here was going mersa, what's that? I hear mersa more now but I think it has changed since we started seeing more cases. Was already being seen in IN.

[changeofpaceRN]

Mersa- American... I've only heard it spelled out a few times

[aura_of_laura]

Mersa, American. Though if I'm talking to a non-HCW, I'll often say MRSA.

[PolandM]

I say the whole thing "Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus"

I kid.

I say MERSA...USA.

[talaxandra]

M.R.S.A. - Australian (and have never heard anyone here say "mersa", despite 20 years of looking after patients with it)