Doctors working in Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust (UK) begun prescribing the insertion of cannulae - a small tube used for giving intravenous fluids. Since they introduced this policy last November there have been no new cases of MRSA infections.

This figure covers all forms of MRSA, including bloodstream infections (also known as bacteraemia) and wound infections. This compares to 2007/08 when there was 11 reported bloodstream infections.

This proves you can stop introducing antibiotic resistant bacterial infections in patients if you stop using IV Cannula. This proves my observation and hypothesis is correct. This also tells us that bacteraemia occurring due to spread from wounds may be wrong and will need to further investigation. Wound infection probably occurs through blood stream infection.

Between the two of us, we have been to Mayo Clinic, to research projects at University hospitals, to specialists at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis and for YEARS of seeking treatment in MANY places. If I were you, I would contact the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia directly. If you have difficulty getting through, or getting an answer to what is the best antibiotics to receive at this time for the MRSA infection (also Wikipedia offers a lot of suggestions!), but I would keep calling and keep calling.

Doctors told me that I would die by 2001 and here it is 2008 and I am still kicking! I am able to carry out a mostly normal life which is a lot better than being DEAD! The only thing that saved me was my wife’s and my persistence and my family doctor’s willingness to believe what we told him and let us try the medications and treatments that we thought were working best–even when other specialists said they did not work!

Now those same specialists say that I may live almost a full lifetime! Don’t give up! Don’t let anyone who says negative stuff or gets tired of listening to you get you down! Just keep trying! New medications are developed every day! And sometimes your own body kicks in and helps!

Good luck and keep trying the Centers for Disease Control even if they don’t want to hear from you! Ask them about the treatments for both situations–MRSA and also for recluse spider bites. It might be best to make two different calls and ask about the spider bite first. Be as nice as you can but be persistent! Persistence makes the difference!

Try to get them to know you and to feel sympathy for you and your loved one. Also, expect a LONG fight! There are just some diseases that take YEARS to fight but the end result is well worth it! I hope Andre gets well soon! As a common cat poster says “Hang in there, Baby!”

In medical literatures there have been various reports about MRSA colonizing in pets and pass then on to their owners. Since 1980’s this bug has developed resistance and doctors are struggling to find alternate ways to treat.

I sincerely hope Andre will respond to high dose of antibiotic and get well soon.

But this is really getting really serious real quick. My boyfriend has MRSA now, and after several doctors visits, X-rays, MRI’s, 3 days in the hospital, 2 debridements, and now a PICC line inserted into his heart to deliver the full strength of anti-biotic possible, they still have been unable to determine the origin of the wound itself. I am pretty darn sure it was a “desert recluse”, or some related species, and I’m not thinking this out of ignorance.. I’m thinking because we found the web, and saw the spider herself later but she was too quick for us to catch. We took a photo of her but it isn’t that good; it doesn’t show how strangely colored she was. Almost reminded me of a White Widow, if there could be such a thing. (We have a lot of widows out here, so we’re sure she wasn’t that). The thing that particularly strikes me in the description is the web-style: I have seen a lot of webs before and never one like this, it was very erratic and haphazard-looking.

So anyway, I’m not sure how much it can help, but I still would like to know. The doctors immediately dismissed our spider theory, though it is the best evidence we have so far… as described, he never felt any pain whenever it happened (he fell asleep outside in the hammock one afternoon, and we’re pretty sure that’s when it was). I can send you a pic if you want to check it out. I am just really freaking worried , because I just read on Wikipedia that MRSA has a 34% mortality rate, so, this is Not Good. Any advice you have or where to look would be most helpful- me & Andre thank you– Rhonda.

I have a question in regards to your response. If my daughter had contracted MRSA through the use of a venous catheter, why did she not get the infection in her blood? Why is she infected inside of her vagina?

The IV was ran in her left hand. Her initial infection began 4 days after having the IV. She woke up in the morning with TONS of dark yellow vaginal discharge. It was either later that evening (or the following evening) that she got the “spider bite” bumps on her labia. The next day, I noticed (2) more red bumps on the back of each leg (about 4 inches below her buttocks)…. and the day after that was when she developed yet another red bump on her left arm.

I am 100% POSITIVE that she acquired MRSA through the emergency room that day. The doctors are all disagreeing with me because of the “site” of her MRSA infection. I have been told, “For all we know, she could have picked it up off a toilet seat in public and been colonized with it for a very long time.” I know that’s NOT TRUE!

February 17th was her last dose of Cipro. I have since been continuing the Mupirocin ointment. Her labia is still “pink”. Her infectious disease dr decided not to reculture her. She said that the culture is MORE THAN LIKELY positive considering the MRSA location. She said if my daughter continues to get “outbreaks”, they will continue to treat with Cipro and possible run rifampin along with it.

I gave her a bath tonight. When I went to apply the Mupirocin, she complained of pain inside her vagina. I gently spread her labia a bit and took a look. She does have SOME (not much) discharge again… and I also noticed a spot inside that is RED RED RED again. I touched the red spot and she cried!!! I then touched a spot (with a different finger tip) and she said that doesn’t hurt at all there. I put a little more Mupirocin on my glove and applied it to the VERY red area. (The area is right AT the vaginal opening). She screamed in pain when I applied it there!

I feel like I am getting no where with these doctors. Unfortunately, they are the only pediatric infectious disease doctors in this area. Everyone trusts Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

What should I do? Please help!! Please give me more advice. I am so afraid of what this may turn into.

Thank you,
Kim

Temporary central vascular or peripheral catheters are placed in an ever-increasing percentage of hospitalized patients. Venous catheter commonly placed for ease of obtaining blood and to save time in restarting peripheral venous catheters-a practice that should be discouraged. Introducing cannula is often not an easy procedure and multiple punctures used will producing puncture wounds in the skin for organism to enter bloodstream.

Antibiotics once started should theoretically produce good response after 3 doses are given. We as doctors must be aware of bacteria (HA-MRSA, CA-MRSA, E Coli, Clostridiums & Candida) are resistant to antibiotic. Bactrim (Septrin) is often now used in this situation but doctors must be aware this could produce reaction and may not be the best choice for MRSA. Swabs for culture and sensitivity must be organised before starting an antibiotic and not after 7 days of treatment.

Antibiotic in lower dose are often bacteriostatic (stop bacteria multiplying) and in adequate dose are bactericidal (Kill bugs). I feel there is no need to continue using antibiotic for as long as 10 days without proper discussion with microbiologist and the parents. This bacteria is new and most are now resistant to vancomycin. Trying to kill the bacteria with high dose antibiotic is also subjected to debate because the bug release toxins and enzymes which can kill in 12-24 Hours.

My 4 yr old daughter was feeling under the weather (so to speak). We went to the ER where she had blood work drawn through and IV. All test came back ok and we were told she only has a virus. They took the IV out after about 4-5 hours and sent us home.

4 days later, she woke up with HORRIBLE vaginal discharge. Since she was on Amoxicillan for an ear infection, the dr. said it was just a yeast infection. She was treated with Diflucan and a vaginal culture was done. Later that evening, she had a few marks on her inner upper thigh and labia that appeared to be “spider bites”. Next day, she woke up with those same marks on the back of each leg. 2 days later, she had one on her arm. I was planning to take her to the dr the next day to get them looked at.

Well, the dr. called before I had the chance to get her looked at. Her vaginal culture came back as “Heavy Growth MRSA”. It is resistant to Clyndamicyn & Erythomycin (sp?). So, they started her on Bactrim.

On day 7 of Bactrim, she had a horrible skin reaction. The Bactrim was stopped and we were given Cirpo. They also cultured her again. (If the culture came back neg. we were to stop the Cipro.)

The culture indeed came back negative. I was told by one dr in the practice to stop the Cipro… and told to continue it for 10 days by another. I chose to continue it. On day 8 of Cipro, I missed 2 doses. The MRSA on her skin immediately got “redder”. I gave the cipro and it went back to “pinkish” again.

I went to see another dr the next day. I told him what happened and he has her on the CIPRO for another 10 days!!!!!

Question…. Should I demand she be started on the Vanco or what??? She still has the “pinkish” areas on her labia.. and some reddish abcesses (sp?) on her inner upper thigh.

Note: I have 4 children and they are all being exposed to this because the darn doctors won’t give her the vanco and call it a day!!! I know that is what it is going to come down to. (My pharmacist also agrees with me.)

The risk factors assessed by NHS in UK clearly document most common cause for spreading antibiotic resistant strain of bacteria are Intravascualr Device as Number 1 risk factor of systemic infection (H-MRSA & CA-MRSA) and Urinary catheters for entrococci (C-Diff & E-Coli)

We noticed increased infection rate (MRSA) in babies who were difficult to cannulate (introduce IV Device). Variuos studies conducted in hospitals, published in medical journals pinpoitn this device as a major risk factor.

Cannula and catheter are not safe to patients because the number of attempts taken to introduce IV Device is unlikly to reduce. Adequate preparation of skin prior to introducing 2nd cannulae can be poor as doctors must spend 1-2 minutes of drying time. Doctors and nurses introduce IV Device in the first attempt in only 60% of patients and after 2-3 years of experience they may be sucessful in only 90% of patients. This coupled with colonization of MRSA on hands and poor sterlization and asepsis when introducing a cannula is likly to increase invasive CA-MRSA.

I’d like to encourage every person to watch practical procedures performed in hospitals (even taking blood for blood test) to protect themselves. Once the bug enters your blood circulation, the infection will spread in your body like a wild fire.