Treating MRSA Infections

Tuesday, November 6th 2007, 9:23 pm

By: News On 6

A Mayes County hospital is now testing every patient for the MRSA infection. Integris Hospital in Pryor is swabbing everyone who comes in. If someone tests positive, the hospital will try to limit exposure to other patients. News on 6 anchor Omar Villafranca reports doctors say the bacteria isnâ€™t new, but how it is changing and what is causing it to morph has doctors looking for medical answers.

Dr. William Banner, Jr., is familiar with MRSA. He says hospitals have dealt with it for years. And, it isn't surprised it's popping up in schools.

"If your school hasn't had one of these cases, you just haven't found out about it because it is everywhere,â€ said Dr. William Banner, Jr.

Dr. Banner says the staph bacteria are all over our skin. He says the combination of aggressive drug-resistant bacteria can be deadly. Right now, he's seeing more aggressive cases in his office.

The numbers are up because for some reason, there is a lot more of it out there,â€ said Dr. Banner.

He says over time, bacteria naturally develop a resistance to antibiotics. Other times, people not taking their medicine properly can speed up the resistance process.

"If you expose a bacteria to a low concentration over time, like you miss doses and have a lower concentrations in your blood, it will teach it to get resistant quicker,â€ said Dr. William Banner.

In the most recent cases, the bacteria have morphed, becoming resistant to the antibiotic Methicillin. That has doctors using other antibiotics to fight the infection.

We can't guarantee that any single antibiotic is going to work all the time, so it's a little bit of try this and see how it goes,â€ said Dr. William Banner.

Watch the video: Dealing With MRSA Infections

To learn more about MRSA, including symptoms, treatment and prevention, visit the MRSA section of kotv.com.