What it means
A gram-positive bacterium that grows in grape-like clusters. Many healthy people carry it on their skin or in their nose without harm. When it gets into a wound, the blood, the lungs or a device, it can cause infections from boils and cellulitis to pneumonia, bone infection and sepsis. A strain that common antibiotics cannot kill is MRSAMUR-suh, or said as lettersMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a staph bacterium that many common antibiotics cannot kill.Full entry .
For the nurse
Hand hygiene is the main way to stop its spread. Keep wounds and IV sites covered and clean, and use contact precautions for resistant strains as policy directs.
In a chart
"Wound culture grew Staphylococcus aureus sensitive to cefazolin."
Remember it
"Staphylo" means a bunch of grapes; "aureus" means golden, the color of its colonies.
At a glance
| Also written | S. aureus |
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Related terms
bacterium
A tiny one-celled living thing, seen only under a microscope, of which some kinds cause disease; the plural is bacteria.
MRSA
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a staph bacterium that many common antibiotics cannot kill.
bacterial infection
An infection caused by bacteria growing in the body.