MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a potentially dangerous strain of bacteria that has been found to be resistant to the most commonly prescribed forms of antibiotics–penicillin and cephalosporin antibiotics. Thirty years ago, MRSA was a rarely reported medical textbook footnote, but toward the close of the 20th century more and more hospitals began to report the presence of MRSA. Indeed, a different strain of MRSA has even started to spread in certain communities, such as nursing homes and daycare centers, where there is a higher population of people with at-risk immune systems. While MRSA does not respond to the most commonly prescribed medications, there are treatment methods that can successfully treat this dreaded infection.

First and foremost for MRSA treatment, physicians should try to catch the infection at its earliest stage, and treat it with incision and drainage. If the patient in question has any signs of a systemic infection, abscesses or skin lesions, or any history of MRSA, it’s recommended that the physician perform a bacterial culture to learn if the particular strain of Staphylococcus aureus is actually antibiotic-resistant. Fortunately, the vast majority of the abscesses that are found on a person’s skin are treated with incision and drainage successfully, and there is no further treatment required. However, if the infection is larger than 5 cm and if the patient in question has already-existing issues with the immune system, a doctor might recommend that the patient go ahead and take antibiotics to be safe.

For a MRSA infection that has become more serious, particularly those that have moved beyond a simple skin infection an antibiotic is necessary. There are some antibiotics that can successfully treat MRSA; clindamycin, minocycline, linzeolid, and doxycycline are all drugs that have been approved by the FDA to treat these infections. In fact, the CDC has warned physicians to avoid prescribing certain antibiotics, specifically macrolides and fluroquinolones, as the disease has the potential to become resistant to these antibiotics. Some people choose to pursue holistic treatment, such as oils and manuka honey. However, if your physician has prescribed medication to treat your MRSA, please take the antibiotics until they have run their prescribed course–it is believed that MRSA developed because people became lax about taking the entire prescribed course of antibiotics.

Of course, the best way to treat MRSA is to avoid it altogether. Excellent personal hygiene, such as frequent hand washing and laundering all items of clothing after each use, is vital. Avoid sharing any sort of personal hygiene equipment, keep any wounds dry and clean and covered, and avoid participating in activities that involve any sort of skin-to-skin contact.