Acute Communicable
Disease Control

 
Contact Information
County of Los Angeles
Department of Public Health
Acute Communicable Disease Control
313 N. Figueroa Street, #212
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: (213) 240-7941
Fax: (213) 482-4856
Email:acdc2@ph.lacounty.gov

Call 211 For Information 24/7

Have questions about things like where to go for vaccinations or other health care services?

Call 2-1-1.

Adobe Reader

Note: PDF documents on this site were created using Adobe Acrobat 5.0 or later. If you are using an earlier version of Adobe Acrobat Reader (4.x or less), document functionality may be reduced.
Acute Communicable Disease Control
"Staph" or Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) Information

Staphylococcus aureus, commonly referred to as “Staph,” are bacteria found in the nose or skin. Staph are the most common cause of skin infections. Some Staph have developed resistance to the most common family of antibiotics that treat skin and blood infections. These Staph are called methicillin (antibiotic)-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MRSA infections are common in hospitals and other healthcare settings, like dialysis centers or nursing homes. MRSA infections in hospitals often affect the very old and the very young or the very sick. However, recently MRSA infections have been found in healthy people outside of the hospital. Most of these MRSA infections are found in the skin and soft-tissue (muscle, fascia, fat). Since they occur in people in the community, they are referred to as community-associated MRSA (or CAMRSA) infections.

CAMRSA is clinically and genetically different from MRSA infections that people acquire in healthcare settings. The information below should help consumers and healthcare professionals understand CAMRSA as a new and emerging disease.

People in Los Angeles County, the United States and around the world are getting skin infections caused by community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA). The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, Public Health is working with the public, doctors and nurses to understand why this is happening and how to prevent these Staph/CA-MRSA skin infections from spreading.

MRSA Frequently Asked Questions  English  Spanish

News & Updates

Myths & Misdiagnosis as Spider Bites
CA-MRSA has commonly been misdiagnosed as spider bites in LA County. The true facts about spiders and spider bites are provided.

Resources

 

 
Public Health has made reasonable efforts to provide accurate translation. However, no computerized translation is perfect and is not intended to replace traditional translation methods. If questions arise concerning the accuracy of the information, please refer to the English edition of the website, which is the official version.
Los Angeles County Seal: Enriching lives through effective and caring services