Mercer Disease Symptoms
Mercer disease is an extremely contagious disease caused by Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus and therefore the disease is mostly known as MRSA infection. This bacteria is frequently acquired in hospitals, dialysis centers, nursing home and other health care facilities (health care associated MRSA). The health care associated MRSA affects mostly immunocompromised patients and old patients. Another type of MRSA has been discovered in otherwise healthy people in wider communities ( community associated MRSA) which is responsible for serious forms of pneumonia and skin infections.



The first symptoms in MRSA skin infections (the most common type of infection) are small red bumps like boils (the infection of hair follicles), pimples, abscesses (the infection of subcutaneous soft tissue), carbuncles (severe abscesses from which pus is draining), celulitis (the infection of fatty tissue ) or impetigo( superficial skin infection which appears as pus-filled vesicles). In short time, these skin conditions increase their severity, their surface increases, they become more painful,  and the patient develops more symptoms such as malaise, fever, and rashes. Although these skin conditions may be effectively treated, some community acquired MRSA strains may be highly virulent and may spread rapidly causing serious complications like sepsis, necrotizing fasciitis, toxic shock syndrome, necrotising pneumonia, pyomiositosis and infective endocarditis.




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Necrotising fasciitis is a serious, deep infection of the subcutaneous tissue. Its symptoms are pain, subcutaneous swelling, crepitus, normal or reddish aspect of the skin in the first stage and skin necrosis and dark bullae in later stages. Necrotising fasciitis may be determined not only by Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, but also by other strains of bacteria and so, the antibiotic must be chosen after a microbiological analysis of the tissue.

Pyomiositosis is a deep muscular infection (it affects skeletal muscles, especially the quadriceps and the gluteal muscular group) and its symptoms are muscle swelling, pain, and high fever. The skin is usually minimally involved.

The pneumonia produced by MRSA is usually the result of a nosocomial (acquired during hospitalization) infection. Its features are not very different to those produced by other types of bacteria. The patient presents fever, cough with large quantities of purulent sputum and respiratory distress. The diagnosis is made after sputum cultures and Gram coloration.

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TSS or toxic shock syndrome may be caused not only by MRSA but virtually by all Staphylococcus aureus strains. It is determined by the different bacterial toxins and its symptoms are: malaise, high fever, low blood pressure, characteristic rash, gastrointestinal disturbances (such as vomiting and diarrhea). Toxic shock syndrome progresses fast, leading to renal failure, hepatic inflammation, central nervous system involvement (confusion, stupor, coma). THis is a severe disorder and it frequently requires hospitalization.

Infective endocarditis occurs mainly in patients with intra-vascular devices, immunosupressed, that are going through hemodialysis, or patients with intra-vascular prosthetic devices. Most commonly the patient complains of fever, chills, night sweats, fatigue, shortness of breath, pleuritic chest pai. The clinical exam reveals muscular, red or hemorrhagic, painless patches on palms or soles known as Janeway's lesions, petechiae, splinter hemorrhage, and oval, pale retinal lesions surrounded by hemorrhage known as Roth's spots. Neurological manifestations may occur due to central nervous system embolization.

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