Some people are MRSA carriers - they have the bacteria hiding in their
bodies but it is not active.  At our hospital we screen certain patients
on admission for MRSA and have found approximately 15% positive as
carriers (not active).  There is also a 15% false negative on the
screening tool!  It is more common than you think.  There are different
kinds of MRSA, responding to different antibiotics.  I think one of the
misunderstandings of how antibiotics work is the idea that they "kill"
the bacteria.  They actually work in different ways - weakening the cell
wall, restricting availability of nutrients to the bacteria so it can't
replicate, etc.  It is actually a weaker bacteria in a sense than
regular normal staph - it just doesn't respond to the same antibiotics
as normal staph.  Antibiotics just hold down the germ until the body can
muster up its own defensive forces to kill it off.  When you have a
bacteria that you become a carrier of, your body defenses have decided
to call a truce and live in harmony.  When the immune system becomes
taxed, the defense forces lose power and the bacteria begins to attack.
This is war mentality (which is not comfortable to the feminine soul)
but it is a good description, I think.  Long story short - if the MRSA
was eradicated by adequate antibiotics, good hygiene (including
nutrition, rest, etc.) it may not come back.  If it is in hiding, then
it COULD return.  It is not a reason to NOT breastfeed!   

-----Original Message-----
From: Lactation Information and Discussion
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Brenda Phipps
Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 4:08 PM
Subject: MRSA recurrence

Does anyone know what the chances are for MRSA recurrence in a mom who
had MRSA with her first child breastfeeding, and is now pregnancy again,
and wanting to nurse the second child?

Thanks,
Brenda Phipps, BS, IBCLC

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