MRSA

American  

[mur-suh, saidasletters] / ˈmɜr sə, saidasletters /

noun

1. methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , a bacterium that is highly resistant to methicillin, penicillin, and certain other antibiotics, and may cause infections of the skin, blood, lungs, etc..

   MRSA infections in hospitals and healthcare facilities.

2. a staph infection caused by these bacteria.

   the threat of MRSA among athletes.

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MRSA British  

abbreviation

1. methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus : a bacterium that enters the skin through open wounds to cause septicaemia and is extremely resistant to most antibiotics. It has been responsible for outbreaks of untreatable infections among patients in hospitals

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Etymology

Origin of MRSA

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

Several studies have shown pets and owners can potentially swap pathogens, including the hospital 'superbug' MRSA.

From BBC • Jul. 29, 2025

She said she had privileges stripped and eventually was diagnosed with MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant infection.

From Seattle Times • May 16, 2024

Joshua Dean, a former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems, died on April 30 after battling a stretch of illness that began with influenza B and MRSA, a bacterial infection, and eventually pneumonia.

From Salon • May 2, 2024

Researchers then took 20 mice and deliberately infected them with methicillin-resistant S. aureus, better known as MRSA.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 15, 2024

They generated this training data by testing about 39,000 compounds for antibiotic activity against MRSA, and then fed this data, plus information on the chemical structures of the compounds, into the model.

From Science Daily • Dec. 21, 2023