My 8 year old has MRSA that led to cellulitis. We are pretty sure that she got it from a water park. She is doing very well now. We have been soaking her foot and keeping it elevated. My question is about me. I don't know if i am paraniod...but i have a tiny dark brown/black spot with red around it. I have an autoimmune disease so i am pretty sure that if i had MRSA it would be trouble. I was wondering if this is how it starts? When we noticed my daughters, it looked like a huge spiderbite... i am not sure if it starts with the tiny mark?
MRSA normally does start and look like spider bites. First signs are normally around the nose area. Sometime they are also mistaken a pimple. My husband had it and I don't remember any of his area's with a black spot in the middle.
MRSA can start as small as something like a small bug bite. My 3 year old niece even had MRSA on her face and her parents at first thought it was a bug bite, but it never healed and since he was in Med school, did some research on it.
Definitely have it get checked out. My father had MRSA, but his went straight into his bloodstream from a careless nurse at the hospital who injected fluids in his iv without cleaning his pic line and he went into septic shock since he had Leukemia, so I don't know much how it would present itself on the skin.
Melanoma can also look like a small black/brown spot with red around it. Watch it, see if it changes shape/colors/grows, if not, then it isn't most likely melanoma.
Hi T.,
MRSA can be spread between family members. Staphylococcus aureus, the organism responsible, normally lives on the skin and can be transmitted to others from shared unwashed towels, bedding, etc., or from skin to skin contact. (A prime site of colonization is the nasal nares, which is why pimples can start around the nose). Having an autoimmune disease doesn't put you at any greater risk that I'm aware of, but you would be at greater risk if you're immune suppressed. If you're on any kind of immune suppressive therapy, such systemic cortisone, I would get your spot checked out sooner rather than later.
As for the suggestion of melanoma, before you freak out, assess your spot. If it is symmetrical, even in color, or you've had it since childhood, it's not likely to be of much concern. However, if it is new, growing, irregular in shape, or is composed of areas of black mixed with areas of brown, that is of greater concern. Without actually seeing the spot (and having a medical degree, preferably in dermatology), it would be impossible for anyone to diagnose it.
BTW, while MRSA is resistant to certain classes of antibiotics, most strains are still highly treatable with tetracycline-based drugs and sulfa drugs. It is the multiply resistant "super bugs" that are of the greatest concern.
I hope all ends up well for you and your daughter!
Hi, T.:
Call your Doc and talk to his nurse.
Good luck. D.
Mine started off looking like a tiny zit. I actually thought they were shave bumps because they were on my legs. When the reddened area started getting bigger I went to the doc. Go get a thin sharpie and mark the red area (draw like a ( ) around the circle of red), that way you can notice if it starts to grow. Call your doc and schedule an appointment (if they can't get you in for a couple days those sharpie marks might help them assess the situation) I hope you guys feel better soon!
