MRSA testing Los Angeles is the abbreviation for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus testing. This is a type of staph bacteria. A lot of people have staph bacteria living in their noses and skin. These bacteria do not cause any harm to the body from the outside. But when they enter the body through a scrape, graze, cut, or any other open wound, they can cause an infection.
MRSA bacteria are very different from other staph bacteria. Antibiotics will kill bacteria in a normal staph infection. In an MRSA infection, antibiotics used to treat staph infections do not work. This is because the bacteria are not killed and will continue to grow. When normal antibiotics do not work on bacterial infections, it is referred to as antibiotic resistance. This resistance makes it hard to treat certain types of bacterial infections.
Annually, nearly three million people in the US are infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics and over 35000 people die from these infections. MRSA infections happened to patients in the hospital in the past. Nowadays, they have become common in healthy people. These infections can be spread through contact with contaminated objects. The bacteria are not airborne like flu or cold virus.
However, you can get an MRSA infection when you share items such as a razer or towel with an infected person. You may also get infected if you have personal contact with someone who has an open wound that is infected. This can happen when a lot of people are close together such as in the locker room, college dorm or military barracks.
MRSA testing looks for the bacteria in a sample from the nostril, a wound or other body fluids. Infections caused by these bacteria can be treated by antibiotics but if the issue is left untreated then it could lead to serious illness or even death.
Why do an MRSA test?
If you have symptoms of MRSA infection, you may need this test. The symptoms will depend on the location of the infection. Most infections are in the skin. However, the bacteria can spread to the lungs, bloodstream, and other organs. An infection on the skin may look like a rash. An MRSA rash looks like swollen bumps on the skin. The rash can be mistaken for a spider bite. Also, the infected area may be painful and warm to the touch. Symptoms for this infection include chills, fever, MRSA rash and headache.
During an MRSA test
MRSA testing Los Angeles is a process that takes certain steps and procedures. A health care provider will take a fluid sample from the nose, wound, urine or blood. Your sample will then be sent to a laboratory for testing. Most tests can take between one to two days to get results. That is because it takes time to grow enough bacteria that can be detected. However, there are more advanced tests that deliver results faster.
