
ANSWER
This 2005 photograph depicted a cutaneous abscess on the knee of a prison inmate, which had been caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, referred to by the acronym MRSA.
S. aureus bacteria are amongst the populations of
bacteria normally found existing on ones skin surface. However, over
time, various populations of these bacteria have become resistant to a
number of antibiotics, which makes them very difficult to fight when
attempting to treat infections where MRSA bacteria are the responsible
pathogens. These antibiotics include methicillin and other more common
antibiotics such as oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin.
Staph infections, including MRSA, occur most
frequently among persons in hospitals and healthcare facilities such as
nursing homes and dialysis centers, who have weakened immune systems,
however, the manifestation of MRSA infections that are acquired by
otherwise healthy individuals, who have not been recently hospitalized,
or had a medical procedure such as dialysis, or surgery, first began to
emerged in the mid- to late-1990's. These infections in the community
are usually manifested as minor skin infections such as pimples and
boils. Transmission of MRSA has been reported most frequently in certain
populations, e.g., children, sports participants, or as was the case
here, jail inmates.