If a minor skin problem like a pimple, a cut, or a scrape becomes infected, it is a good idea to see a doctor. Simple tests can determine the type of bacteria that is causing your infection. You should always ask to be tested for MRSA before starting treatment with any antibiotics. Since MRSA does not respond to most common antibiotics, taking such antibiotics if you have MRSA is counterproductive and can lead to serious MRSA complications and more resistant bacteria.

Doctors can determine if you have a staph infection taking a sample of infected tissue or nasal secretions and sending it to a lab for testing for signs of drug-resistant bacteria. In the lab, a culture is performed on the sample by placing it in a Petri dish in conditions that stimulate bacterial growth. After around 48 hours, the number of bacteria is large enough to test it for antibiotic resistance by adding methicillin to the culture; if the cells continue to grow, it is a MRSA infection.

Unfortunately, 48 hours can be long enough for a MRSA infection to become serious. Thus, to eliminate this waiting period, new, faster tests have recently been developed that can detect MRSA DNA in one to two hours. These have only recently become widely available and some doctors may not even be aware of their existence.

If you are hospitalized, you may be tested or “screened” for MRSA as a precaution if you show any signs of infection or if you are transferred into a hospital from another health care setting where MRSA is known to be present.