Attack of the Superbugs: The Spread of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

Link: ABC News:

     Drug-resistant bacteria are spreading into our communities and infecting the wounds of unsuspecting people. It's not the plot of a B-rated movie, but what is actually happening in many U.S. cities, and it is causing much alarm in the medical community. Previously, hospitals were the only places you would need to be concerned about these stubborn bacteria, but in a study published on April 7, 2005 in The New England Journal of Medicine, infections caused by one such superbug, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), was studied in Atlanta, Baltimore and Minnesota hospitals. Over the course of a year, a surprisingly large number of MRSA infections, somewhere between 8 and 20 percent, was the result of community-acquired, out-of-hospital, infections. Since these bacteria have survived traditional antibiotic treatments and multiply to create even more resistant bacteria, they can be tougher to treat. This study shows that it is important for both doctors and patients to keep a close watch on the treatment of even routine infections.

Click the link above for a well written guide to MRSA

Comments

[teresa]

i just found out i am a carrier of mrsa and i have had a variety of infections and migraines and i am diabetic and have high blood pressure, i hve been in and out of hospitals for the last 4 years. i am divorced and dating, i dont know enough about it to know how careful i need to be with my dating partner

[Shirley McCoy]

I work in the health care field of MRDD and am unsure of how MRSA is transmitted. Is it airborn? Is it transmitted by touch of surfaces or open sores?