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Reports: Drug-resistant staph may emerge as deadly 'superbug'
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by urbano411 | October 17, 2007 at 08:17 am
434 views | 17 Recommendations | 4 comments
Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium that lives on the skin and in the
nose of humans, and is unknowingly carried by millions of people. It
can cause infections of the skin, in the blood, in the bones, and in
the lungs. It has become resistant to a wide range of antibiotics,
including penicillin-related antibiotics. (CDC)
This week's news of the Virginia teen who died of the a bacterial infection called MRSA or methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, the 'Superbug' as it has been called, highlights two important health facts we have to face:
1. we have to wash our hands more in all environments
2. we have to be very, very careful about when we give ourselves and our kids antibiotics
A drug-resistant form of staph has become so prevalent it may cause more deaths than those attributed to HIV, and upstate doctors have identified a "superbug" linked to pediatric ear infections that repels all 18 government-approved antibiotics, researchers report in separate analyses Wednesday.Drug-resistant organisms are increasing at an explosive pace, doctors said Tuesday. One investigation examined the national prevalence of drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, for methicillin-resistant staph aureus, and estimated that 90,000 people nationwide are becoming infected annually. The bug can invade the bloodstream. It has been associated with hospital infections, but now is spreading in communities.
The other superstrain is an emergent form of Streptococcus pneunomiae. Even though a vaccine exists to protect against seven related strains, there is no vaccine against this one. The bacteria often cause ear infections in children and pneumonia in the elderly.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (4)
at 08:26 on October 17th, 2007
urbano411, thanks for posting this.
at 08:48 on October 17th, 2007
urbano411, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 11:27 on October 18th, 2007
urbano411, I like this story. It's good stuff.
Here are the Staph infections Symptoms according to Mayo Clinic
Staph infections, including MRSA,
generally start as small red bumps that resemble pimples, boils or
spider bites. These can quickly turn into deep, painful abscesses that
require surgical draining. Sometimes the bacteria remain confined to
the skin. But they can also burrow deep into the body, causing
potentially life-threatening infections in bones, joints, surgical
wounds, the bloodstream, heart valves and lungs.
at 22:15 on January 17th, 2008
This infection is really serious. My 3 year old daughter has it, and she can't seem to beat it she has had it for almost 2 years and the hospital does not know what else to do she has already had surgery and it still came back. She has MRSA she also got cellulitis from it.