What is a Superbug?
Superbugs, also called Multi Drug Resistant (MDR) bacteria, are resistant to several antibiotics. Not all superbugs necessary cause a severe infection though. One common superbug is MRSA.
What is MRSA?
Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a strain (a genetic variant within the same species) of Staphylococcus aureus bacterium, resistant to antibiotic methicillin, and other antibiotics from the same class as penicillin, amoxacillin, and oxacillin. The main problem with MRSA is that it is often not recognized as such, and hence treated with inappropriate antibiotics (1, page 25).
MRSA Related Terms
MRSA= Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (Common misspelling: MERSA, MRCA, MERCA)
HA-MRSA = Healthcare Associated MRSA
CA-MRSA = Community Associated MRSA,
CO-MRSA = Community Onset MRSA, and HO-MRSA is Hospital Onset MRSA, terms describe the source of infection when found in a healtcare unit.
EMRSA = Epidemic MRSA ~ MRSA strain easily spreading among patients and hospitals
MRSE = Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Epidermidis
VRSA = Vancomycin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus
MSSA = Methicillin Sensitive Staphylococcus Aureus, this is an usual S. aureus, shortly SA
Staph = short for all types of staphylococci (staph aureus, staph epidermidis, staph infection)
MRSA virus is a commonly used term that is obviously incorrect, since MRSA is a bacterium.
continue reading MRSA Superbug Types: CA-MRSA, HA-MRSA in Y. 2008
