The organism Staphylococcus Aureus is found on the skin of many individuals and seems to cause no major problems. Occasionally however, if it gets inside the body, for instance under the skin or into the lungs, it can cause infections such as boils or even pneumonia.

Those who carry this organism are usually totally healthy, have no problems and are simply considered 'carriers' of the organism. This is also known as 'colonization'.

MRSA or Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus is used to describe those examples of the organism Staphylococcus Aureus that are resistant to commonly used antibiotics.

Methicillin was an antibiotic used many years ago to treat patients with Staphylococcus aureus infections. It is now no longer used except as a means of identifying this particular type of antibiotic resistance.

MRSA organisms are often associated with patients in hospitals but can also be found on patients not in a hospital. Usually it is not necessary to do anything about MRSA organisms.

However if MRSA organisms are passed on to someone who is already ill, then a more serious infections may occur in that individual. When patients with MRSA are discovered in a hospital, the hospital will usually try to prevent it from passing around to other patients. This is known as infection control, a vital and important part of the control and management of Hospital Acquired Infections.

Those who have contracted MRSA in a hospital would already have a weak immune system and complications arising from their contraction may include toxic shock, pneumonia, septicemia and even death.

Early treatment is vital.

Worringly these infections are now being found within Community and Nursing home settings.

We should all expect to leave our health provider in a better than when we enter, occasionally this does not happen, sometimes this may be due to negligence and this is were it would be acceptable to seek compensation.