Authors : Anuradha N. Choudhary and Mili J. Thakkar
Page Nos : 12-16
Description :
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are key agents of healthcare-associated infections. MRSA is a strain of Staphylococcus aureus resistant to β-lactam antibiotics, including penicillins and cephalosporins, and often displays resistance to other antimicrobial agents such as aminoglycosides, chloramphenicol, and ciprofloxacin. The first observations of staphylococci in human lesions were made by Von Recklinghausen in 1871, followed by Louis Pasteur demonstrating their pathogenicity in 1880. Sir Alexander Ogston, also in 1880, linked staphylococci to abscesses and named them based on their grape-like clusters. Invasive MRSA infections are categorized into healthcare-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA), community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA), and unknown. HA-MRSA infections are more common in hospitalized patients due to factors like improper antibiotic use, medical procedures, and ineffective cleaning.
