Infection Control

MRSA

Staphylococcus aureus is a germ that lives on the skin and mucous membranes of healthy people. Occasionally S. aureus can cause an infection. When S. aureus develops resistance to certain antibiotics, it is called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA

VRE

Enterococci are germs that live in the gastrointestinal tract (bowels) of most individuals and generally do not cause harm (this is termed “colonization”). Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) are strains of Enterococci that are resistant to the antibiotic Vancomycin. If a person has an infection caused by VRA, such as a urinary tract infection or blood infection, it may be more difficult to treat.

FRI

FRI is a term used to describe a wide range of droplet-spread respiratory infections, such as colds, influenza-like illness (ILI) and pneumonia, which usually present with symptoms of a fever greater than 38°C and new or worsening cough or shortness of breath.

C-difficile

Clostridium difficile (also called C. difficile or C. diff.) is a bacterium that can produce a toxin or type of poison that can cause swelling in the intestinal tract. You will usually have symptoms like diarrhea, fever and abdominal pain. The C. diff. Bacterium can be found in the bowels of some people without causing disease, and people in good health generally do not get C. difficile disease.

ESBL

ESBL stands for Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase, which are enzymes that have developed a resistance to antibiotics. ESBL infection is an opportunistic infection – it can be completely harmless in the healthy, but cause infection in the immunocompromised.