MRSA also outside the hospital

Along with hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA), which is a particular hazard for elderly and weakened persons, there are also MRSA infections, which are acquired outside the hospital.
These so-called CA-MRSA (community-acquired MRSA) are characterised by the fact that they are also transmitted independently of medical facilities within the population itself (e.g. within the family, at sports, etc.). In this case, it is primarily younger people without prior illnesses who are affected, and who generally contract recurrent skin and soft tissue infections – often without a recognisable point of entry.

One indication of CA-MRSA is the presence of the so-called Panton-Valentin leukocidin, known as PVL for short. This virulence factor is a cytotoxin, which causes lysis of macrophages through pore formation and leads to tissue necrosis. PVL is coded by the lukS-lukF gene. Staphylococcus aureus strains equipped with this gene often cause invasive skin and soft tissue infections, in particular multiple recurrent abscesses, which can initially appear to be skin eruptions related to insect bites. More rarely, necrotising pneumonia develops, which however, often has a very rapid course and high mortality rates.

In recent years livestock-associated MRSA (LA-MRSA) are getting more and more important. These strains are found in various species worldwide. Especially people working in animal husbandry (e.g. pig breeding) are at risk of being colonised with these LA-MRSA strains.

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