MRSA in the family

Mammy1111 · Feb 22, 2009

You are definitely in a quandry. You and your husband will never know for sure where your MRSA came from, unless you can pin it to a recent visit to a health clinic or hospitalization. In any case, to ease your mind, you might speak with your employee health office. They may want to do a nasal culture and attempt decolonization if you are colonized. I would feel the same as you...horrible if an infection happened in the NICU.

Because you have been in such close personal contact with MRSA because of your husbands infection, it may be beneficial to you and your babies to be tested. You might not be colonized. My mother and I cared for my father while he was dying with MRSA pneumonia, and she recently had a nasal culture. She tested positive for Staph, but not MRSA. So, transmission doesn't always happen.

It is an ethical dilemma....what healthcare workers should do about their own MRSA concerns.

Faeriewand, ASN, RN · Feb 22, 2009

What does that mean to be colonized with MRSA?

Mammy1111 · Feb 22, 2009

Colonized with MRSA means to have MRSA in or on your body without signs of illness like fever, wound drainage, redness, swelling, cough, malaise or other signs of active infection. The test for it is usually a culture of the nares. It is a test used in many hospitals to screen for the presence of MRSA. Decolonization usually means using Bactroban in the nose twice a day for 5 days and a daily Phisohex baths.

Colonized people can also spread the disease onto their close by environment or onto or into other parts of their own bodies if they become vulnerable, ie surgical incision.

boxerretreat · Feb 22, 2009

You may not have transferred the MRSA to him. There are many cases of CA-MRSA (Community Aquired MRSA) now that it is possible he aquired it elsewhere. I would just suggest you continue to be tested regularly and talk with your family physician also. When I was working, nurses on the unit were not tested regularly and were always in contact with MRSA patients. I guess my only suggestion is do what you feel is best for you.

allnurses Guide · Feb 23, 2009

Almost all nurses are colonized with MRSA. I wouldn't worry about it - there's no way to tell where hubby got his from. There is little point with Bactroban etc unless you're having surgery or something, as you'll just get colonized again.

mcleanl · Feb 23, 2009

This is interesting...you are the 2nd nurse this month I have heard this story from. She called employee health and was told that she did NOT need to be tested unless there were symptoms. Also, the 2 types of MRSA, HAMRSA and CAMRSA often present themselves differently. You can check this out http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/8525697700573E188525709700660509

Mammy1111 · Feb 23, 2009

The previous statement that almost all nurses are colonized is not accurate, although it is widely believed. The latest stats say that 30 to 40% of us may be colonized. The final verdict on the value of decolonization is not in. The orginal post is from a nurse who worries she may be colonized. If that is a worry, there is absolutely no reason she should not get cultured, if that is what she wants to do. We do have choices in our own health care ....it doesn't go away when we become a nurses.

It is correct that in most cases repeated culturing of nurses is likely a waste of resources. And it also correct that if a nurse becomes a patient she should be cultured to avoid becoming infected herself in case of surgery. But, there is nothing wrong with a nurse seeking a culture for her own peace of mind. It isn't necessarily so that those in close contact with MRSA patients (CA or HA) will become colonized. Obviously though it is a valid concern and more likely it will happen to them rather than someone who is not in constant contact with a MRSA patient.

allnurses Guide · Feb 23, 2009

Fine - "many" nurses are colonized. I did not advise the OP not to get cultured. I merely stated that unless she plans to become a patient, there is not much point. I doubt she makes her healtchare decisions based on what random strangers on allnurses say.

Mammy1111 · Feb 23, 2009

It was not my intention to insult anyone. I am just so tired of inaccurate statements and the ensuing helplessness that is so common around MRSA.

My father died of hospital Acquired MRSA pneumonia Jan 9. He was the third that I am aware of that died as a result of HA MRSA in the last few months at his 25 bed community hospital.

I am working diligently to get MRSA mandates for active screening and Isolation in my state of Maine. So, I have studied all I can get my eyes on about MRSA. The gossip about MRSA is rampant. All of us nurses need to be on the same page about MRSA so we can create a culture (no pun intended) of prevention rather than a culture of reaction, gossip, complacency and inconsistancies.

My current hope is to get mandates in Maine. My future hope is that the CDC will wake up to the endemics in the majority of our nations hospitals and mandate active screening, isolation, prevention, education and reporting nationwide.

The "studies" are in. Research and data are wonderful, but many thousands of people are dead and maimed by HA MRSA and it needs to be stopped. These infections are preventable.

nerdtonurse?, BSN, RN · Feb 23, 2009

The worst MRSA patient I ever had -- skin, nares, blood, sputum, etc. -- worked at the drive thru of a local fast food place. I found out when I went to get a sandwich, and I watch her take my change, scratch her nose (and I'm remembering the "HEAVY GROWTH" from the lab on her nares), make my change, and then hand me my food. She eventually died from sepsis d/t the MRSA. If I'm colonized, so's half of the people who ever "got fries with that" in town....

KyPinkRN · Feb 23, 2009

The worst MRSA patient I ever had -- skin, nares, blood, sputum, etc. -- worked at the drive thru of a local fast food place. I found out when I went to get a sandwich, and I watch her take my change, scratch her nose (and I'm remembering the "HEAVY GROWTH" from the lab on her nares), make my change, and then hand me my food. She eventually died from sepsis d/t the MRSA. If I'm colonized, so's half of the people who ever "got fries with that" in town....

scary... sure am glad I gave up fast food!