Safety

Study warns that tough-to-treat skin infections are on the rise

OSHA Healthcare Connection, August 22, 2006

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Healthcare workers are seeing more cases of community acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA). According to study by the University of California at Los Angeles Medical Center and appearing in the August 17, New England Journal of Medicine, CA-MRSA is now the most common cause of skin and soft-tissue infections among emergency-room and clinic patients.

CA-MRSA is resistant to the antibiotics commonly used to treat skin conditions, such as cephalexin and dicloxacillin. Unlike MRSA, the community-acquired version is not associated with healthcare settings.

Previously reported outbreaks have occurred among athletes, correctional facility inmates and military recruits. The new study now concludes that CA-MRSA infections are common in people who are not connected to any particular risk group.



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