Introduction
Tortora (2004) identifies biology as the science of life and living creatures, which involves studying their origin, growth, evolution, structure, functions as well as their distribution. However, some of the fields studied in biology include microbiology and epidemiology. Epidemiology refers to as the knowledge of analyzing determinants and distribution of health and disease conditions in different populations. On the other hand, epidemiology is the foundation of public health. It is mainly used to shape evidence-based practices and policy decision making by recognizing risk factors targets and diseases for preventive measures ( Dukic et al. 2013) . The research paper will analyze Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection, the disease pattern, clinical diagnosis, as well as control measures.
Pathogenesis- disease pattern of MRSA
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a collection of gram-positive bacteria that are naturally different from other strains of Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococcus aureus as a form of bacteria found on human skin. He further expounds that most healthy people are carries of this bacteria, although it's harmless, it can lead to severe infections causing death or sepsis. However, MRSA is categorized as any strain of staph that develops through natural selection, and multiple drug resistance, horizontal gene transfer to bête-lactam antibiotics ( Lin, Wang, Lin, Ho, & Ho, 2018) . Hence, this is the main reason as to why it is difficult to treat staph bacteria since they are resistant to the commonly used antibiotics.
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Contact is one of the common means of spreading MRSA, meaning that through touching an infected person or an object that have the staph bacteria, one can acquire these bacteria. According to the research, statistics shows that 2% of the total population is carriers of the staph bacteria, although the majority is not infected. It further explained means in which the MRSA bacteria are acquired: one through hospitals and health facilities and second through community environment such as schools, offices, prisons and homes among other areas, particularly, areas with people living with open wounds. Children, hospitalized patients, animals, prison inmates, and military recruits were identified as a group that is at high risk of acquiring the bacteria.
Kallen et al (2010 ) argued that MRSA infection originated as a hospital-acquired condition, but currently, it has become a livestock-acquired as well as a community-acquired disease. Research shows that community-acquired MRSA spreads faster from one individual to another than hospital-acquired MRSA. However, Peng, Liu, Ma, and Gao (2018) explains that community acquired bacteria enters the body through cuts and appear as a soft tissue infection or on the skin, such as an abscess or boil. Although it causes minor infections, it can be harmful, especially to children, since their immune system is yet to develop. Hospital-acquired MRSA was identified to cause severe conditions such as death.
Clinical diagnosis of MRSA
For MRSA diagnosis, the infected person ought to seek medical attention so that a sample from the infected site is obtained and sent to the laboratory for testing. Research shows that the diagnostic procedure should involve the collection of the sample from the patient ( Lin, Wang, Lin, Ho, & Ho, 2018) . However, the bacteria should be cultured from body fluids such as pulse, urine, sputum, or blood and adequate quantities for testing. Secondly, the sample is later taken to a microbiology laboratory and placed in a dish of nutrients to culture the bacteria for forty-eight hours. However, after the bacteria are cultured, the professionals can identify the staph DNA, which provides them with adequate information on how best to treat the patient
On the other hand, latex agglutination test can be conducted to identify the Penicillin Binding Protein 2a. Research shows that the latex agglutination tests it is less complicated and faster than other laboratory tests performed, especially the phenotypic methods. However, this test uses pellets of blood culture, which are compared with oxacillin agar, for instance, the PBP2a test will indicate poor or on sensitivity when it comes into contact with blood containing the staph bacteria. Therefore the resistance to oxacillin is an indication that the patient is infected with MRSA.
However, the treatment of MRSA should be done urgently upon the diagnosis since delay can be disastrous . Therefore, treating the infection involves various methods, such as draining the pus in the boils or abscess, which should be done by a healthcare professional. Antibiotics are the only effective medical approach that can be used to treat MRSA ( Al-Obaidi, Suhaili, & Desa, 2017) . Therefore, beta-lactam antibiotics ought to be avoided since they are not effective in destroying the staph bacteria. For severe conditions, the healthcare providers should opt the use of vancomycin intravenously. The drugs should either be administered orally or IV or both depending on the patient's condition. Research shows bone and joints infection involves a long term treatment plan; which includes an antibiotic therapy which can last for more than three months.
Preventive measures of MRSA
Screening is one of the preventive measures that can be used to control new infections of the staph bacteria. This method involves isolating the persons infected from those without the staph infection. However, to identify the infected individuals, rapid culture ought to be conducted the health professionals to reduce the infection either in the community or in hospitals.
Maintaining good hygiene is another preventative measure that can be used to minimize the infection rate. For instance, Minnesota Department of Health (2013) states that the professionals ought to ensure the equipment and the facilities are disinfected regularly, proper disposal of objects that then transmit the bacterial and also direct the infected individuals on how to take good care of their wounds and bandages. Secondly, the local government should ensure public facilities such as toilets are clean also provide them with washing facilities, and lastly personal hygiene should be emphasized, especially in those infected areas. However, CDC (2018) provides suggestions on how to reduce the spreading of MRSA in the community settings through washing hands using alcohol-based sanitizer or soap and water as well as avoiding personal sharing items.
Conclusion
MRSA is a bacterial caused infection that can cause an epidemic within a region if left uncontrolled. It requires urgent treatment to avoid disastrous results such as death or further resistance of the bacterial to treatment. However, to diagnose the staph, a laboratory test ought to be conducted on the samples collected from the patient. After the staph bacteria are identified, vancomycin intravenously antibiotic is the most effective antibiotic used in treating MRSA. Therefore, preventive measures such as screening, isolation, and good hygiene can be used to control the further transmission of the infection.
References
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