Brief Answer:
Sanitize the hands before and after meeting her.

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Welcome and thanks for posting your query to the forum. I can understand your concern for MRSA in your mother and related issues.

Before I guide you for your main concerns let you understand certain important things about MRSA: our body harbor multiple types of bacteria on the skin which are known as “Normal flora” of the skin.

A bacteria “Staphylococcus aureus” is also a part of that flora. Basically this bacteria is sensitive to Methicillin (MSSA) and therefore most of Staph. aureus are sensitive to methicillin group of antibiotics. But there are certain group of bacteria in staph aureus which hare resistant to methicillin. These bacteria are known as Methicillin resistant staph aureus or commonly known as MRSA (in abbreviated form).

The very first and foremost of the thing you should know is that both MSSA and MRSA are simple bacteria only and nothing else. These are both well treatable. The only difference is of the sensitivity to particular penicillin group of antibiotics which we call as Methicillin. Therefore one is methicillin- sensitive Staphylococcus aureus and the other is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

The basic problem is that most of staph aureus are sensitive to common antibiotics but MRSA are sensitive to a specific set of antibiotics. These are most commonly present in persons with low immunity or person who are hospitalized or having one or the other preexisting health condition.

Both groups of bacteria can be passed form one person to other but it depends on immunity of person to harbor the infection and get its clicnal symptoms. It is for the part of our routine hospital protocol that we don’t want these MRSA to rise in number and get spread to general community as well as hospitalized persons. That is why these are always taken care specifically.

In your mother’s case if your wife has touched her then it doesn’t make any problem. We routinely get so many of bacteria in our contact but seldom catch any infection. It is for the part of all of us healthcare professional that we should take all the care that this infection should not spread to other hospitalized patients. That is why the hospital team is taking active action for the same.

So I reassure you again that this is no problem is your wife has touched your mother. I additionally suggest you and your wife or any other family members that to sanitize the hands before and after meeting her. It can be done by simple washing the hands before and after as well as by a hand sanitizer. I also suggest to take proper healthy diet whenever you visit the hospital. There is good immunity if we have proper nutrition and diet and therefore we have less chances of getting any infection.

Hope this information will help you. If you have any further query I will be glad to help.

Regards.
Dr Sanjay Kanodia
MD (Dermatology & Sexually transmitted diseases)

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