Resolved question:
Hello Doctor,
My wife was recently diagnosed with CA-MRSA. She's had a few relatively minor skin infections in last few months. Currently, she as well as I are doing Mupirocin nasal ointment for a month and Hibiclens baths for 3 months. We plan on adding bleach baths to our routine for a few months in an effort to hopefully get MRSA out of our lives.
There are a lot of mixed reactions on the Web and in medical community about whether MRSA can be completely eradicated from one's body.
My question is, using the routine I mentioned as well as disciplined hygiene and low-sugar diet, is it conceivable that MRSA bacteria can be eradicated from the skin? Is answer unequivocally NO, or is there hope? Thank you so very much.
Submitted:
4 Days
Category:
Internal Medicine Specialist
Hello thankyou for appraoching DoctorSpring
I have gone through your case and understand your concern.
Mupirocin when applied inhibits bacterial protein and RNA synthesis. Decolonization by mupirocin itself is uncertain, but along with chlorhexidene baths has been found to be more effective. There have been some reports where using nasal mupirocin alone in a variety of patients was successful in decolonization, while another study din't show much difference when used alone. Hence susceptibility to mupirocin is not fully understood.
Chlorhexidine can reduce MRSA skin colonization but eradication can be achieved only along with nasal mupirocin or systemic antibiotics.
Since you and your wife are one mupirocin and Hibiclens, it should help eradicate it from the body. But like I said reports vary. Hence the answer is NOT NO, as eradication may occur. But it definitely has shown decreased rates of bloodstram infections.
But assuming you and your wife are otherwise healthy you'll have nothing to worry.
Study has shown that 2 in 100 people carry MRSA.
I would advise you'll to do a screening test after 3 months, where a swab will be taken either from the skin, nose or armpits and sent to the lab for testing.
I hope this has helped.
Thankyou