Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococcus aureus is a common bacterium or germ which commonly lives in the nose and on the skin. Most people who carry the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria do not have an infection. Sometimes people develop infections with this bacterium and require treatment. Infection in the bloodstream is called bacteremia.
When common antibiotics are not able to destroy Staphylococcus aureus, the bacterium is called “resistant”, or MRSA. Infections caused by MRSA are not more serious than infections caused by the regular Staphylococcus aureus bacterium. However, only a few antibiotics will treat MRSA infections.
Rates
MRSA rates at TADH as of October 2024:
MRSA = 0%
MRSA for all Ontario Hospitals
Information for Patients and Families
For more information about MRSA, who gets it and how it is treated, please visit Infection Prevention and Control’s patient information sheets.
