Test Details: A MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) test looks for the MRSA bacteria in a sample from a wound, nostril, or other body fluid. It is also performed on patients presenting with pneumonia. MRSA can be treated with special, powerful antibiotics. If left untreated, an MRSA infection can lead to serious illness or death. Normally used antibiotics have little to no effect on MRSA. It is spread by direct skin-to-skin contact or contact with shared items or surfaces (e.g. towels, used bandages) that have come into contact with someone else's infected site.