Share this page
You can share a link to this page with your friends via your favourite social network. To protect your data from these third parties this feature is disabled by default, if you would like to use it please press the button below.
Performance
What is MRSA?
MRSA stands for Meticillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. This means that Meticillin (an antibiotic) does not work on this type of bacteria. Therefore infections with MRSA can be harder to treat with antibiotics. However, the majority of patients who develop a MRSA infection are successfully treated with antibiotics.
Most people with MRSA carry it without any harm to themselves or their family. However it can sometimes cause serious infections, especially if it gets into a wound. This is why we try to stop MRSA spreading around the hospital.
What is Clostridium difficile?
Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is a bacterium that is present naturally in the gut of around 3% of adults and 66% of children.
C. diff does not cause any problems in healthy people. However, some antibiotics that are used to treat other health conditions can interfere with the balance of 'good' bacteria in the gut. When this happens, C. diff bacteria can multiply and cause symptoms such as diarrhoea and fever.
As C. diff infections are usually caused by antibiotics, most cases usually happen in a healthcare environment, such as a hospital or care home. Older people are most at risk from infection, with the majority of cases (80%) occurring in people over 65.
Most people with a C. diff infection make a full recovery. However, in rare cases, the infection can be fatal.
Patient leaflets about MRSA, C.Diff and infection control