MRSA was first identified in 1961 in the UK. The Staphylococcus infection gradually developed immunity to the standard treatment of the time, the antibiotic methicillin, and mutated into what’s today called MRSA. It was first seen in hospitals but since has moved out into the larger community and world and is now found in every area where humans gather.

While MRSA can be found virtually everywhere, it’s not a problem unless it can enter your body through a cut or other open area. That’s why people in close quarters tend to be most at risk of acquiring the infection, particularly in situations where they are already battling some other malady, like at a hospital or nursing home.

Symptoms of MRSA

How can you tell if an infection is MRSA? The first signs of trouble are the appearance of swollen, red and painful areas of the skin. These can present as fluid-filled boils or cuts that ooze pus. These don’t have to be huge gashes.

Typically, they are small cuts on the body that may or may not have been noticed when they occur. Thus, when people come into contact with shared objects like towels, razors, or perhaps touch or rub the infection, problems arise. The hirsute are particularly good spreaders of the infection because MRSA loves to enter the body through hair follicles.

When MRSA takes hold, you’ll notice that its symptoms escalate beyond the cuts. You may develop chest pain and shortness of breath, begin coughing, and get the type of ill feeling that usually indicates the onset of a cold or flu – headache, fever and a rash. If left alone, these symptoms can escalate into something more serious, like pneumonia.