Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)

Paper Summary:

The purpose of this paper is to develop relevant background information concerning the incidence and causes of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in general and in selected healthcare facilities in particular. According to the paper, MRSA represents a growing threat to public health and the national interests, and it is recommended that the etiology and treatment of MRSA should become the focus of a concerted nation-wide effort to develop improved treatment protocols.

Table of Contents:
Executive Summary
Discussion of Findings
Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation

From the Paper:

"By the late 1950s, different strains of S. aureus had acquired resistance to penicillin and to virtually all other available systemic antibiotics, including erythromycin, streptomycin, and the tetracyclines; these strains of S. aureus were all associated with outbreaks of hospital-acquired infections; the introduction of semisynthetic penicillins (e.g., methicillin, which are not inactivated by beta-lactamase), though, and the cephalosporin antibiotics (e.g., cephalothin, cephaloridine, and cefazolin), during the 1960s provided clinicians with some new therapeutic treatments for infections caused by these antibiotic-resistant pathogens (Chikami & Murphy 11). The organism adapted yet again, though, and methicillin-resistant strains of S. aureus (MRSA) were being identified as early as 1961; at that time, the MRSA organisms were associated with infections in Europe, but they have since become widespread around the world. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Caldwell, J. (2003, April 29). "Staph's scary reality: How a little fun on the dance floor - or in the steam room at your gym - can land you in the hospital." The Advocate: 28.
• Chikami, Gary K. and Diane Murphy. (1998). "Microbial Menace." Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy 13(4):11.
• Levy, Stuart B. The Antibiotic Paradox: How Miracle Drugs are Destroying the Miracle. New York: Plenum Press, 1992.
• Morrall, Peter. Sociology and Nursing. London: Routledge, 2002.
• Perlingieri, I. S. (2004, September-October). "The trouble with tampons." E, 15(5):33.

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