May 26, 2012
Topics A-Z Infections Is MRSA being over-diagnosed for non-MRSA infections?
Is MRSA being over-diagnosed for non-MRSA infections? |
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Dear Ask The Doctor: I have several recurring skin infections that when seeking diagnosis from a doctor, I'm told that it is "MRSA Staph" and I am prescribed a "treatment" dose of Bactrim. The problem is that Bactrim does not cure the infection though it may mitigate it slightly. About two years ago, when I was tested for Syphilis, the doctor decided to treat me before the results came back. He gave me a shot of Penicillin before sending in my bloodwork. When he got the results, I did not have Syphilis, but, for the first time in 18 years, I had absolutely no skin infections. This lasted about six months and then the skin infections started again. I feel as though I am being treated for MRSA only because it is so common and not because they have done the appropriate tests to differentiate my infection from regular Staph Aureus. My doctor will not give me a shot of penicillin even though it has been the only effective treatment I have had for nearly half of my life. When I try to lookup misdiagnosis of MRSA, the only results I get are related to Doctor's missing the MRSA diagnosis, not falsely identifying an infection as MRSA. What should I do to get my Doctor to administer Penicilin for my skin problems rather than having me take Bactrim (which doesn't work and makes me so sick, I would rather die)? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am about to investigate illegal means of procuring a Penicilin injection. Dear Jason: I understand how worried you are about your current treatment for MRSA. First I would start by telling you that since you have recurrent skin infections for such a long time and a history of HIV with a decreased number of T cd4, this could be much related to MRSA and not just a simple Staph skin infection. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is caused by a strain of staph bacteria that's become resistant to the antibiotics commonly used to treat ordinary staph infections; certainly this could have happened to you due to your recurrent history of skin infections and because of that, I would agree in rotating your antibiotic for a more powerful one such as Bactrim. Many of these community acquired MRSA infections can still be treated with oral antibiotics though, such as clindamycin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX or Bactrim) but Penicillin might not be enough for you due to the reasons already explained. I would suggest you to comply with your treatment but I would also suggest you to discuss with your doctor a test to know which types of antibiotics will act on your MRSA. I wish you a prompt recovery. |
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 15 November 2010 ) |
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