MRSA
Medical abbreviation · Infectious Disease
| Stands for | Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus |
|---|---|
| Categories | Medical |
MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, an infectious disease abbreviation.
Staph strains resistant to methicillin and nearly all other beta-lactam antibiotics, including penicillins and most cephalosporins. MRSA causes skin abscesses, pneumonia, bloodstream infections, bone and joint infections and surgical site infections, both in hospitals and in otherwise healthy people in the community.
Example: Abscess culture grew MRSA; incision and drainage done, TMP-SMX DS BID for 7 days.
Usage notes
Pronounced as letters or "MER-suh". It was first reported in the UK in 1961, soon after methicillin was introduced; resistance comes from the mecA gene, which encodes an altered penicillin-binding protein. Clinicians distinguish hospital-associated (HA-MRSA) from community-associated strains (CA-MRSA, such as USA300). Serious infections are treated with vancomycin, daptomycin or linezolid. A negative nasal MRSA PCR has high negative predictive value for MRSA pneumonia, supporting early vancomycin de-escalation. Methicillin itself is no longer used; oxacillin or cefoxitin is used in lab testing.
Related abbreviations
More infectious disease abbreviations
- LTBI – Latent tuberculosis infection
- MAC – Mycobacterium avium complex
- MDR-TB – Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis
- MDRO – Multidrug-resistant organism
- MERS – Middle East respiratory syndrome
- MIC – Minimum inhibitory concentration
- MSM – Men who have sex with men
- MSSA – Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus
- N95 – N95 filtering facepiece respirator
- NHSN – National Healthcare Safety Network
- NSTI – Necrotizing soft tissue infection
- NTM – Nontuberculous mycobacteria
See all 92 infectious disease abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.