Is MRSA contagious?

MRSA is contagious. It spreads mainly through direct skin-to-skin contact and through contaminated objects — towels, razors, sports kit, dressings, bed rails. It does not usually spread through the air, and intact healthy skin is a strong barrier. Risk rises when skin is broken and when people share personal items in close quarters.

Around one in three people carry Staphylococcus aureus harmlessly on the skin or in the nose; roughly 1–2% carry MRSA specifically. Carriers feel completely well but can still pass the bacteria on, and are more likely to infect themselves if their skin barrier is broken. This is why household clusters happen even when only one person ever develops a boil.

Treat an open or draining wound as contagious until it is covered, dry and healing — normally at least 24–48 hours after starting an effective antibiotic, and ideally until the wound has closed. Colonisation is different: it can persist for months after the infection has gone, and only clears naturally or with a decolonisation course.

The transmission routes are the same everywhere; the practical precautions are not. These four guides cover the settings where MRSA actually moves between people.

See also how MRSA spreads in detail, the prevention hub for decolonisation, and MRSA symptoms.