MRSA Infection

Fostering A New Medical Life For A Forgotten Antibiotic

Link: Fostering A New Medical Life For A Forgotten Antibiotic.

   The increasing need for new antibiotics to combat multidrug-resistant bacteria has led chemists to develop the first method for synthesizing a potentially valuable antibiotic that has been sidelined from clinical use for 40 years. Harvard University's Daniel E. Kahne and colleagues report the first total synthesis of the antibiotic, moenomycin A, in an article in Journal of the American Chemical Society, a weekly publication. Kahne points out that moenomycin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic with unusual promise. It has strong antibacterial activity against a large group of bacteria that cause pneumonia, urinary tract infections, gastritis, stomach ulcers, food poisoning and other disorders. Moenomycin also kills bacteria in an unusual way; it binds directly to enzymes that bacteria need to form a cell wall.

New Cleaner Effective Against C Diff?

Link: Solvay Pharma Aktiebolag

Perestane, an innovative biocidal product created and developed by Solvay, has been proven to be an effective disinfectant against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile. These so-called ‘superbugs’ may cause fatal diseases, and the treatment of patients with most current antibiotics is ineffective. Researchers from the University of Leeds and Leeds General Infirmary (United Kingdom) have recently demonstrated that disinfectants commonly used in hospitals fail to eradicate Clostridium difficile from the premises, and may even promote spore formation. The effectiveness of Perestane against MRSA and Clostridium difficile was confirmed by the Hospital Infection Research Laboratory (City Hospital Birmingham, UK) and a recent report from an independent British laboratory accredited by UKAS, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service.

Family fury over potential MRSA cross infection

Link: News

    A FAMILY today claimed hospital staff in Sheffield left them exposed to a potentially deadly superbug - by failing to tell them their sick relative had MRSA. Today mum-of-two Nicola Salkeld told The Star she could be forced to postpone a planned operation next week if tests show she has the MRSA bug on her skin after coming into close contact with her husband's poorly grandfather in hospital. Nicola, aged 34, has waited six months for the op at the Jessop Wing next Thursday. She says she would never have visited John Salkeld, 83, if staff at the Northern General had told her he had contracted the bug. MRSA can cause serious infections or even kill if it enters the body through wounds or tubes after surgery or serious illness.

Thousands of hospital staff fail to wash hands correctly

Link: Telegraph

     Thousands of doctors and nurses are ignoring warnings about the spread of MRSA in hospitals and failing to wash their hands before treating patients. Statistics A study has discovered that 88 per cent of hospital staff are not following government orders to wash their hands before and after contact with patients. Researchers who followed teams of doctors and nurses for a week, found that even when dealing with patients infected with the deadly superbug, 84 per cent were not washing their hands correctly. Health staff carrying out wound care, such as changing bandages, failed to follow hand-washing guidelines on 86 per cent of occasions, while a quarter of staff did not wash their hands after contact with human waste.

MRSA - Uniform can kill it - Video

Link: BBC News Player.

Click the link above for video on a new uniform that will fight MRSA

Students test MRSA-killer uniform

Link: BBC NEWS

    Student nurses in Kent and Medway are testing a new type of uniform designed to help in the fight against the hospital superbug MRSA. The fabric contains an anti-microbial treatment which "electrocutes" harmful bacteria to stop them spreading. Canterbury Christ Church University believes it is the first in the UK to trial the product, called Permagard.

Income up for MRSA 'killer'

Link: icCheshireOnline - Income up for MRSA 'killer'.

    A LIVERPOOL-BASED maker of technology capable of killing superbugs has scored a 20% jump in revenue. Proventec, which is based in Rodney Street, said turnover rose to £1.46m in the six months to September 31, 2006 from £1.2m in the same time last year. The provider of steam cleaning and preventative coatings technology capable of killing MRSA has sold 40 OspreyDeepClean machines to Carillion Healthcare to clean a hospital in Swindon.

superbug - Operations cancelled because of new superbug

Link: superbug

   A number of medical procedures were called off in one of the "biggest" hospitals in the UK due to a possible fatal superbug. Three wards have been shut down at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham after clostridium difficile virus - known as C-Diff spread. It is thought to have impacted on both medical workers and patients. The virus leaves individuals with chronic diarrhoea and can result in critical sickness and perhaps even death, with senior citizens and the infirm especially at risk. Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust is quoted as saying in the Mirror newspaper: "We have closed three wards to new admissions."

New Method for Detecting Antibiotic Resistance: Mutations Emit Light Signals

Link: New Method

    The exchange of a single gene building block in the genetic material of the tuberculosis bacterium leads to resistance to the antibiotic rifampicin. Scientists of the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) and the Universities of Heidelberg and Bielefeld, Germany, have developed a highly sensitive test for detecting this genetic alteration at the level of a single molecule, thus providing information about the resistance status of an infected person.

Drug-Resistant Staph Infections Increase - Health & Fitness

Link: Drug-Resistant Staph Infections Increase

   Kay Hill loves to spend time on the water or out on the track. "I love to go to car races," Hill said. But these days, the Durham grandmother spends much of her time in and out of doctor's offices battling an aggressive infection that has been attacking her body for the past three years. "I lost half my little finger from the infectious disease, almost lost my big toe," Hill said. She almost lost her life. The infection began after a heart valve operation. It not only involved her heart, it involved infection in her toe, infection in her finger that required amputation and a back infection that's in her spine. That infection still lingers as she's on lifelong suppressive antibiotics to keep it from coming back. It's a medical nightmare triggered by bacteria many of us carry on our hands or in our noses -- staphylococcus aureus or staph. It is usually harmless unless it makes its way into the body.

'We wanted to hold the NHS to account'

Link: BBC NEWS | Health | 'We wanted to hold the NHS to account'.

   The daughter of a woman who died after getting the infection says it is important to hold the NHS to account. Joan Staples Joan Staples was a fit and healthy 73-year-old when she had a hip op Joan Staples was a fit and healthy 73-year-old when she went in for a routine hip replacement in June 2002. Everything seemed to go well at Lincolnshire's Pilgrim Hospital but a few weeks after being discharged she had to return to hospital for treatment as the wound was not healing and had become swollen and sore.

MRSA superbug claims may surge

Link: BBC NEWS

A flood of MRSA compensation claims could finally be realised as lawyers turn to workplace safety legislation to pursue hospitals. To date it has been hard to pin the blame on the NHS as it is never known exactly when a person becomes infected. But recent successes have prompted a rethink in how lawyers tackle cases, with many making use of laws governing the control of hazardous substances.

More at the link above

Hospital Cleanliness in N Ireland

Link: House of Commons debates (TheyWorkForYou.com).

What steps are being taken to ensure the highest standards of cleanliness in hospitals in Northern Ireland.

Click the link above for the detailed response

Irish families mandatory reporting

Link: .

THE family of a 74-year-old man who died after contracting MRSA while in hospital has welcomed a recommendation that all deaths associated with the hospital superbug be recorded. Cork City Coroner’s Court heard more than four hours of evidence yesterday into the death of Valentine Ryan, from Ballea Road, Carrigaline, Co Cork.

Warning after pet killed by superbug

Link: HEN News

    A CHESHUNT family are warning animal lovers to be aware of the health risks and colossal costs at stake when poorly pets need surgery after their precious dog died of MRSA. Eight-year-old golden retriever Max was struck down with the killer infection after a life-saving operation to remove a tumour on his chest. The operation was carried out at the specialist Royal Veterinary College near Potters Bar, where the popular BBC programme Supervets is filmed. Max's owners, Leigh and Terry Martin, of Cheshunt Wash - who are expecting their fourth baby next week - were devastated by the loss of their pooch in February, but their sorrow turned to anger when they were slapped with a �4,000 bill from the college. The couple have already shelled out �2,000 and are refusing to pay the rest of the hefty fees as they are appalled that Max contracted MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) while in the college's care.

UW-Madison researchers develop novel method to find new antibiotics

Link: UW-Madison researchers develop novel method to find new antibiotics (Nov 20, 2006).

      Filutowicz's approach involves looking for new drugs that render bacteria harmless by blocking the replication of—and thus eliminating—some of their DNA. Bacterial DNA comes in two forms: chromosomal DNA, which is required for life, and plasmid DNA, which is not. The nonessential plasmid DNA contains many undesirable bacterial genes, including those that confer antibiotic resistance or lead to the production of toxins. Filutowicz is seeking antibiotics that would selectively disrupt the replication of plasmid DNA, so that when bacteria reproduce, they would produce plasmid-free offspring that are harmless or susceptible to traditional antibiotics. Such compounds could dramatically alter the character of some of our nastiest microbial adversaries.

MRSA found in Horse hospital

Link: NewsRoom Finland.

    The University of Helsinki said in a statement Tuesday that Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) had been found on two horses operated on at its equine hospital. Two other horses have been found to carry MRSA, a strain that is resistant to antibiotics. The spread of the bacteria at the hospital has been stopped by following instructions given by the National Public Health Institute for human hospitals.

Hospital-acquired infections take toll on bottom lines

Link: USATODAY.com.

     Reducing the number of infections patients contract while in hospitals would not only benefit patients but also hospitals' profits. Researchers say the finding in a study out Monday counters an assumption that hospitals make money on patients who fall ill with a hospital-acquired infection because they often receive higher payments from insurers for dealing with complicated cases. But the higher payments do not cover the additional costs. "This adds economic strength to the notion that we ought to be doing away with infections," says Richard Shannon, co-author of the study and vice chair of clinical affairs in the department of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. "Not only is it the right thing to do from the patient perspective," he says, "but infections are in fact costing payers and hospitals lots of money." His study showed an average $26,839 loss to the hospital for each patient who came down with one type of infection called a central-line-associated bloodstream infection. A central line is a catheter placed into a vein to provide fluids or medication. Of 54 patients who got that type of infection during a three-year period at the one hospital studied, only four resulted in a break-even or profit for the hospital.

Hospitals told to isolate patients with superbug by Government

Link: Telegraph

    Hospitals have been ordered to create MRSA isolation wards where necessary to treat patients infected with the superbug. Under controversial Government plans, all elderly people admitted from nursing homes will be screened for MRSA and forced to use antibacterial shampoo, shower gels and creams as a precaution. Millions more patients scheduled for operations such as hip replacements and heart and brain surgery will also be checked for infection. According to the Department of Health guidance, those found to be infected should be isolated. advertisement But there were warnings last night that because of a shortage of beds, NHS trusts may have to set up MRSA wards and that the procedure could scare and stigmatise vulnerable patients.

NHS 'snubs bug busters'

Link: Telegraph

      The NHS was accused last night of ignoring new cleaning products that could help to cut infections and deaths from hospital superbugs, including MRSA. Campaigners, including victims' relatives, will lobby the House of Commons on Wednesday, demanding action to "fast-track" products that scientists say can kill the infections. Andrew Lansley, the shadow health secretary, condemned Government failure to use the products as "a growing scandal". advertisement He said a Rapid Review Panel, set up in December 2003 to evaluate products tackling MRSA, had made "no significant progress". Brian Baker, the owner of Greenbridge, a company in Bristol, has spent three years trying to persuade hospitals to use Activ8, a non-toxic cleaner approved by Prof John Oxford, the Government's top scientific adviser, and the Health Protection Agency. It costs about �30 to clean a ward with Activ8, against thousands of pounds for conventional fluids.

Superbug death 'down to hospital'

Link: BBC NEWS

    The family of a 69-year-old woman who died in a Sussex hospital have said she would still be alive if she had not contracted the superbug MRSA. Pamela Weller was admitted to the Royal Sussex County Hospital, in Brighton, in October suffering from an infection following treatment for a broken hip. Relatives said it was only her death certificate that told them of the MRSA. The Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust said reducing cases of MRSA was one of its key priorities.

Harnessing honey's healing power

Link: BBC NEWS

    In fact, he says UMF manuka honey can even tackle antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria - a growing problem for hospitals around the world. "Staphylococcus aureas is the most common wound-infecting species of bacteria, and that's the most sensitive to honey that we've found. "And that includes the antibiotic resistant strains - the MRSA - which is just as sensitive to honey as any other staphylococcus aureas." Clinical trials at the Waikato Hospital have shown that even out of the lab, UMF manuka honey has amazing healing properties. Nurse practitioner Julie Betts has successfully used honey to treat leg ulcers and pressure sores. And she says it helps healing after surgery - particularly for diabetic patients. "It has an anti-inflammatory effect as well, so if I want to do several things apart from actually controlling the bacteria in that wound, then that's when I'll use honey."

Acinetobactor 4 times more resistant in 10 years

Link: Infectious Disease News.

Acinetobacter is about four times more resistant to standard antibiotics than it was almost a decade ago, and incidence rates have dramatically increased in hospitals, according to research presented at the 46th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, held here.

In 1995, multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains of Acinetobacter caused 4.5% of infections. By 2004, the rate increased to 16.7%, and the strain was resistant to three drug types in one in four cases, according to a CDC study.

“The proportion of non-susceptible Acinetobacter isolates has increased significantly,” said Roberta B. Carey, PhD, microbiologist with the CDC’s division of health care quality promotion. “Although these very resistant strains of bacteria are not considered a risk to healthy people in the community, prudent use of antimicrobial agents is important to decrease the exposure of bacteria to these life-saving drugs and decrease the pressure for the microbes to become resistant to survive.”

Acinetobacter are gram-negative bacteria found in moist environments or on the skin of healthy people, especially health care personnel.

Alex Thomas on how restructuring health careers affects MRSA

Link: SocietyGuardian.co.uk.

       My year is no exception to this. We were recently treated to a presentation from a patient who contracted MRSA while in hospital. This chap clearly had an axe to grind and most of his arguments were bafflingly contradictory. But we can afford to forgive him quite a lot: as a result of the MRSA infection he contracted in hospital he had to have a section of several inches of bone cut out of his leg and now is permanently disabled as well as mentally and emotionally scarred. The reason he cited for contracting this terrible infection in the first place was that a nurse refused to toilet him and he was left overnight in his own excrement. He quoted the nurse as saying: "Nurses don't do that any more!" This is a fairly bold statement to make in front of 1,000-plus healthcare students.

Superbug Infections Increase In Connecticut

Link: WFSB.

    The Channel 3 I-Team discovered that cases of community-acquired MRSA are on the rise in Connecticut, up from 214 cases in 2001 to 302 cases last year. Sundlun reported the bacteria causes painful boils that can go away on their own, but a dangerous strain can cause serious infection that requires immediate medical attention. Dr. Henry Feder is a professor of family medicine and pediatrics at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington and a practicing doctor of infectious diseases at the Connecticut Children's Medical Center. He said, "There's one type of MRSA that makes very large boils that are large abscesses and can get you sick so you have fever, you stop eating and you end up in the hospital."

Finding the right test for drug resistant MRSA strains

Link: Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

    Glycopeptide intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (GISA) and hetero (h) GISA strains are notoriously difficult to detect in the diagnostic laboratory. The clinical importance of GISA and in particular hGISA will only be obvious when a definitive detection method is available. A few novel GISA and hGISA detection methods have been proposed; however their validity has never been tested on a significant scale and in different laboratories. This study compares three screening methods for detecting GISA and hGISA strains in twelve laboratories using a blind panel of 48 strains of known glycopeptide susceptibility. The three screening methods used were Brain Heart Infusion agar with 6mg/L vancomycin (BHIA6V) (CDC/CLSI), Mueller-Hinton agar with 5mg/L teicoplanin (MHA5T) (EARSS) and the Macromethod Etest (MET) (EARSS) with Population Analysis Profile-Area Under Curve as a gold standard. Sensitivity and specificity were highest for MHA5T and MET identifying 82.5% and 85.9% of strains respectively. BHIA6V had poor sensitivity, particularly for hGISA (11.5% strains detected) and gave the largest inter-laboratory variability in performance. MET exhibited the least inter-laboratory variability. It is essential that laboratories use appropriate methods to detect GISA/hGISA so that prevalence and clinical importance of these strains can be properly assessed.

MRSA and Cystic Fibrosis - assessing the impact

Link: Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

Small colony variants (SCVs) of Staphylococcus aureus can be isolated from the chronically infected airways of patients suffering from cystic fibrosis (CF). These slow-growing morphological variants have been associated with persistent and antibiotic-resistant infections, such as osteomyelitis and device-related infections, but no information is available to date regarding the clinical significance of this special phenotype in CF lung disease. We therefore investigated the prevalence of S. aureus SCVs in CF lung disease in a 12-month prospective study and correlated the microbiological culture results with the patients' clinical data. A total of 252 patients were screened for the presence of SCVs. The prevalence rate was determined to be 17% (95% confidence interval, 10%-25%) among S. aureus carriers. S. aureus isolates with SCV phenotype showed significantly higher antibiotic resistance rates than those with normal phenotype. Patients positive for SCVs were significantly older (P = 0.0099), more commonly co-colonized with P. aeruginosa (P = 0.0454), and showed signs of more advanced disease, such as lower FEV1 values (P = 0.0148) than patients harboring S. aureus with solely normal phenotype. The logistic regression model determined lower weight (P = 0.016), advanced age (P = 0.000), and prior use of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (P = 0.002) as independent risk factors for S. aureus SCV positivity. The clinical status of CF patients is known to be affected by multiple parameters. Nonetheless, the independent risk factors determined here point to the impact of S. aureus SCVs on chronic and persistent infections in advanced CF lung disease.

Light illuminates blood prone to infection

Link: icNewcastle - A step forward in MRSA battle.

    Surgical wound infections, including those caused by MRSA, can affect patients after surgery, causing complications, or even death. Contamination of the wound with bacteria is one cause and, although hospitals do have hygiene procedures, some patients have a far higher risk of developing an infection. This is because not enough oxygen-rich blood is reaching their wound. Lack of oxygen slows down healing, offering more time for an infection to take hold, and also hampers the body's immune system as it tries to fight off harmful bacteria. Dr Harrison's technique works on a simple principle - blood cells carrying oxygen are bright red, while those which have no oxygen are purple. His handheld device bounces an infra-red light into the skin around a wound. The signal that reflects back is different depending on the colour of blood cells in the wound. "The beauty of this device," added Dr Harrison, "is that there is no need to even remove the transparent film that is placed across the wound after surgery - it's completely non-invasive. "In the trial, it was 70% accurate in predicting which patients would go on to develop an infection. "Once you know who is at risk, there are lots of interventions you can take to try to stop an infection taking hold, such as giving patients fluids or giving them a special blanket to keep them warm."

Jailer passes MRSA to son

Link: Worcester Telegram & Gazette News.

     Four correction officers and at least four inmates at the Worcester County Jail and House of Correction have come down with the antibiotic-resistant skin infection known as MRSA, and one of the jail employees passed the potentially deadly infection to his 18-month-old son. Leaders of the correction officers union are urging jail and public health officials to take stronger steps to combat the spread of the bacteria, saying overcrowding, including double-bunking of prisoners in the maximum-security unit, is contributing to the problem. “This is unacceptable,” said Henry N. Harris, executive secretary of the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union. “We’re asking the (Department of Public Health) to intervene and really get a handle on MRSA before it gets out of control over there.”

45k Compensation Over Mrsa Victim

Link: 45k Compensation Over Mrsa Victim (from Croydon Guardian).

     The bereaved father and daughter of a Norbury woman who died from MRSA after being admitted to a London hospital for a minor operation today won £45,000 compensation for their loss. Grace Nwamala Nkemdilim died aged 31 at King's College Hospital in 2001 after contracting the bug during a brief stay as an in-patient earlier that month. Her father, Godfrey Anachunam Nkemdilim, from Norbury, sued the hospital's managers, Kings College Hospital NHS Trust, saying that their negligence in not picking up the infection before her discharge caused his daughter's death. continued... He also sought damages on behalf of Grace's daughter, Beatrice, now aged 14.

Dutch treat MRSA as a medical emergency

Link: Waterford News & Star

    A CONFERENCE in Water-ford last week heard how the superbug MRSA is stamped out in Dutch hospitals by stringent infection control measures while in Ireland it is costing the HSE €150m per annum. The second annual conference of MRSA and Families Network, co-founded by Tramore woman Teresa Graham, was opened by Deputy Mayor of Waterford Cllr. Davy Daniels and hosted by the Waterford branch of the network at WIT last Saturday week. Dr. Graham, whose late husband Dermot contracted MRSA while being treated for cancer at Waterford Regional Hospital, said the close to 100 people at the conference were “gob-smacked” at the address given by Paul Bergervoet, an infection control practitioner, in a 500-bed hospital in Holland. Mr. Bergervoet outlined to the conference that the reaction in his hospital to one person testing positive to MRSA was to close the Intensive Care Unit where the patient was located, test everybody in contact with him and to treat the episode as an emergency.

Children becoming resistant to drugs they've never taken

Link: Journal Watch Infectious Diseases.

     Worldwide, quinolone-resistance rates among gram-negative bacilli are rising rapidly. Widespread use of this class of antibiotics can cause selection of resistant organisms in the gut flora. Because these agents are rarely administered before age 18, children provide an opportunity to investigate the prevalence of quinolone-resistant gram-negative bacilli in individuals not exposed to quinolones. Investigators recently reported the results of stool screening among children without diarrhea who attended a general ambulatory pediatric office in Seattle between September 2001 and June 2002. Information on antibiotic use by the child and by other household members during the preceding 4 weeks was collected by questionnaire. Stools from 13 of 455 children (2.9%) grew gram-negative bacteria with high-level quinolone resistance (Escherichia coli, 7 children; Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, 4 children; Enterobacter aerogenes and Achromobacter xylosoxidans, 1 child each). Six of the 7 E. coli isolates were found to have additional extraintestinal virulence factors. Besides quinolone resistance, the 13 isolates showed varying resistance rates to other classes of antibiotics. None of the 13 children with resistant isolates had used a quinolone during the preceding 4 weeks, nor had members of their households. Use of other antibiotics by the children or their household members was not associated with detection of quinolone-resistant bacteria.

Universal HIV test call earns 'why not MRSA' response

Link: To Catch a Deadly Germ - New York Times.

     WHAT kills more than five times as many Americans as AIDS? Hospital infections, which account for an estimated 100,000 deaths every year. Skip to next paragraph Matt Rota Yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which are calling for voluntary blood testing of all patients to stem the spread of AIDS, have chosen not to recommend a test that is essential to stop the spread of another killer sweeping through our nation’s hospitals: M.R.S.A., or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The C.D.C. guidelines to prevent hospital infections, released last month, conspicuously omit universal testing of patients for M.R.S.A. That’s unfortunate. Research shows that the only way to prevent M.R.S.A. infections is to identify which patients bring the bacteria into the hospital. The M.R.S.A. test costs no more than the H.I.V. test and is less invasive, a simple nasal or skin swab.

Stopping the Dangerous Superbug

Link: ABC News: Stopping the Dangerous Superbug.

       Pennsylvania officials today published a hospital-by-hospital breakdown of infection rates, so patients in the state will have an idea of where to get the cleanest medical care. But those handy guidelines aren't available in every state, so what can you do to protect yourself against hospital infections?     * These tips come from the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths, a non-profit organization devoted solely to providing safer, cleaner, hospital care founded by former New York lieutenant governor Betsy McCaughey.

Click the link above for more information

Hospitals 'failing to beat MRSA'

Link: EADT - Hospitals 'failing to beat MRSA'.

        HOSPITALS in Suffolk came under fire last night after it emerged they are failing to keep levels of killer bug MRSA within acceptable limits. According to a performance report, there were 27 cases of methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) at Ipswich Hospital between April and September this year. This is nine above its prescribed ceiling for that period and just five short of the overall target for the 2006-7 financial year. West Suffolk Hospitals performed only slightly better with 16 cases of MRSA between April and September, compared to a target of 13 and a total ceiling of 28.

Superbug alert at city hospital

Link: icCoventry - Superbug alert at city hospital.

      FOUR patients at Coventry's new hospital have been put in isolation because of a superbug alert. Doctors at University Hospital in Walsgrave found traces of MRSA on patients' skin. They immediately put those affected into rooms on their own. Hospital chiefs moved to allay fears. The bug can be lethal to the young or old and infirm and is highly contagious. Martin Lee, medical director for the Hospital Trust, said: "As part of routine care, four patients on the rehabilitation ward were found to have traces of MRSA on their skin.

MRSA virus may have been passed by nurses

Link: Newry Democrat: MRSA virus may have been passed by nurses.

     AN MRSA victim who died after spending months in hospital may have contracted the super-bug from the hands of his nursing staff, an inquest has heard. Dr Michael Rothburn, an independent infectious diseases expert, claimed a lapse in hygiene by staff at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast was the most likely cause of a disease which left the victim fighting for life. Brendan McDowell, 43, from Mullartown Heights, Annalong, died in February 2004 after suffering multi-organ failure which his family has linked with hospital-acquired infections. Dr Rothburn said: “The likely mechanism of spread was from one to another patient by another healthcare worker, hence, an unidentified lapse of hand hygiene by hospital staff probably resulted.”

Lab in a box promises fast diagnosis

Link: Accelr8.pdf (application/pdf Object).

New York (November 2006)--The emergency treatment of drug-resistant infections with targeted antibiotics is often delayed by the need to identify bacterial strains by growing them in culture first. At the upcoming AVS 53rd International Symposium & Exhibition later this month in San Francisco, Michael Lochhead, a bioengineer at the Denver biotechnology company Accelr8, will describe a new lab-on-a-chip that can identify single bacterial cells for the most common cases of drug-resistant pneumonia, cutting down the wait from days to hours. The technology could also help in the development of new drugs.

Gamecock Athletics Go High-Tech in Staph Prevention

Link: Gamecock Athletics Go High-Tech in Staph Prevention:

   The University of South Carolina has become the first athletic program in the Southeastern Conference to apply high tech, proactive measures like SportsAide(TM) in its fight against the spread of staph infections throughout its athletic complex. SportsAide, provided by SportCoatings(TM) of Rochester Hills, Mich., uses a patented, non-leaching microtechnology that creates a durable bond on sports surfaces and controls the growth of a wide array of bacteria, mold, fungi and algae.

One Gel Of A Mess

Link: One Gel Of A Mess (from Burnley Citizen).

   LIFE-SAVING hand-gel dispensers in East Lancashire's hospitals are dirty, lying empty and not working properly, a study by health chiefs has found. An audit of 96 wards found faults in one in six dispensers, which are crucial in the fight against superbugs such as MRSA. Health watchdogs and the brother of a man who died after getting MRSA in Blackburn Royal Infirmary, which has since closed, have told of their anger and dismay at the findings. Bosses are now drawing up an action plan to tackle the problem at the new £113 million Royal Blackburn Hospital and Burnley General, both run by the East Lancashire NHS Trust.

AliMed Offers Hundreds of Healthcare Products That Feature AgION(R) Antimicrobial Surface Protection

Link: RedOrbit

    AliMed, a leading manufacturer and supplier of high-quality products to the healthcare industry, today announced that it offers hundreds of products featuring the AgION antimicrobial available to its customers at healthcare facilities worldwide. The company's new product catalog features both AgION's SilverClene24TM disinfectant along with a wide array of proprietary products and solutions from leading manufacturers that incorporate the innovative antimicrobial. The antimicrobial, developed by AgION Technologies, Inc., is based on naturally-occurring silver which reduces surface contamination by inhibiting the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria, mold and fungus. "Controlling bacteria and contaminants is a top priority for healthcare managers," said Mark Olken, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at AliMed, Inc. "Bacterial and viral infections, mold, and mildew can cost both in terms of patient and staff health and other treatment expenses. Silver-based antimicrobials improve surface protection by inhibiting microbial growth and contamination, providing an extra margin of safety. Offering AgION's antimicrobial solution is an ideal choice for us because it is proven to be effective and long-lasting and they are among the few antimicrobials registered as safe for patient and healthcare provider contact."

LESLIE ASH SUES OVER SUPERBUG

Link: The Daily Record

     ACTRESS Leslie Ash is suing the hospital where she caught a killer superbug. The former Men Behaving Badly star has issued a writ claiming hundreds of thousands of pounds from London's Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Leslie, 46, was left paralysed for a time and nearly died after reportedly contracting MSSA, a strain of the devastating MRSA, at the hospital in April 2004. She believes she was infected when she was given a pain-killing jab after being admitted with a punctured lung and broken rib. Leslie, who has two teenage sons, still walks with difficulty and is unable to work in acting.

Rec services switches cleaners to prevent spread of infections

Link: Rec services switches cleaners to prevent spread of infections - News.

  Syracuse University Recreation Services began using a new cleaning product on gym equipment last Friday to better protect SU students from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a strain of staph found in one percent of healthy people. MRSA can lead to a life-threatening infection in some individuals. Employees at the Archbold, Goldstein, Marion and Brockway exercise facilities began using a product called Matt-Kleen to clean equipment, according to Joe Lore, associate director of SU Recreation Services. They had previously used Pine-Sol, which is not included in a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency list of antimicrobial products effective against MRSA. According to Rich Cahill, EPA spokesman, a product is not effective if it is not on the list. The new cleaner, Matt-Kleen, was reformulated in June to protect against MRSA.

Close contact,close calls for athletes threatened by MRSA

Link: islandpacket.com | Close contact,close calls.

The scratch on David Hutton's left shin was an inch long and innocuous -- the kind of "injury" an offensive lineman might suffer dozens of times each season. Nothing to think twice about. Nothing to bring a 6-foot-8, 390-pound beemoth off the field for treatment. Nothing, for that matter, to interrupt even a kid's backyard game of freeze tag. But during the bus ride home from Wando High School, Hutton noticed the mark left by an opposing player's cleat had turned red and swollen. By the next morning, the sore was throbbing and hot. Two days later, the Hilton Head High School offensive lineman was in a doctor's office, getting pus scooped from the festering wound with a little, meal spoon. "The doctor dug down about a half inch deep," Hutton winces. "It hurt so bad." Groggy from the medication he took to stem the infection, Hutton spent the next week trying to stay awake during classes. He was held out of practice so as not to spread infection to his teammates, and when the Seahawks played West Ashley the next Friday, Hutton wasn't in uniform, sidelined by a ubiquitous bacterium that has stricken several local athletes in recent seasons.

Pressure group want figures made public

Link: Highland Radio

     The recently formed Donegal branch of the pressure group "MRSA and Families" is presenting local politicians with a document calling for the threat of MRSA to be tackled The group is also calling for the extent of the infection to be made public. Copies of the document have also been circulated to Health Minister Mary Harney and all TDs in the Dail. Donegal spokesperson Rosemary Cassidy says that over the past ten years, two sets of national guidelines have been published, but never implemented.

1.4m people have hospital infection on any given day

Link: WHO urges use of alcohol-based hand cleaners - Yahoo! News.

    Alcohol-based hand cleaners for hospital staff could save lives and reduce health care costs, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. Advertisement The U.N. agency estimated that 1.4 million people worldwide are sick at any given moment with infections they catch in hospitals, mainly spread when doctors and nurses do not clean their hands every time they tend to a new patient. Up to 10 percent of those who catch an infection in hospital die as a result, said Didier Pittet, leader of the WHO global patient safety challenge. Rubbing one's hands with an alcohol-based solution is easier to integrate into health care routines than constantly cleaning in a sink, he said. Some 35 countries have signed on to a WHO initiative to fight infections associated with health care practices.

Preventing Community MRSA

Link: The Times Plus, Monroe Times, Monroe, Wisconsin, USA.

   The best way to prevent a community associated MRSA infection is to practice good hygiene: * Keep your hands clean by washing thoroughly with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. * Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage until healed. * Avoid contact with other people's wounds or bandages. * Avoid sharing personal items such as towels or razors. * Wear gardening gloves when working in the yard. *

Click link above for more advice

More sports related skin infections reported

Link: More skin infections reported.

    Washington Township High School officials confirmed two cases of an antibiotic-resistant skin infection this week. The cases of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus -- both in varsity football players -- occurred within the last two weeks, said Jan Giel, a spokeswoman for the Washington Township Public Schools. Giel said she could not provide more specifics. The students are being treated, doing well and are not contagious, district officials said. The district sent home letters with football players on Thursday about the cases.

Care Home fined $25000 over neglect of MRSA wound

Link: PJStar.com - Journal Star News.

    According to Journal Star files and the department's report, Catherine G. Martin, 95, of Peoria, formerly of Princeville, died on April 9 from infection and multiple organ failure, because of or as a consequence of an infected leg wound. Martin had been a school teacher, a farm wife, an election judge and served as supervisor of Princeville Township. She was admitted to the nursing home in March 2006 after she fractured an ankle while living at Independence Village in Peoria. She also had other health problems, including a "soft spot" on her heel, which the department alleges was not properly cared for in the nursing home. She was taken to Methodist Medical Center on April 4 with gangrene to the right heel, and found to have MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant infection in the heel.

MRSA diagnosis methods compared

Link: Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

    Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of genomic macrorestriction fragments (PFGE) has been used by the Belgian Reference Laboratory for Staphylococci for national hospital surveys of MRSA since 1992. The sequencing of the polymorphic X region of the protein A gene (spa typing) offers significant advantages over PFGE in terms of speed, ease of interpretation and exportability. In view to validate its potential use for national surveillance, we evaluated the robustness of spa typing compared with PFGE on a 217 S. aureus strain collection representative of the Belgian S. aureus epidemiology during the last 15 years. spa typing and PFGE both showed a high discriminatory power (DI of 0.98 and 0.96, respectively) and achieved high concordance (95.9%) in type classification. Both methods also showed good concordance values with MLST (95.5%). However, we observed occasional "violation" of MLST CC assignment by spa typing. Our results suggest that both PFGE and spa typing are reliable methods for long term, nation-wide epidemiological surveillance studies. We suggest that spa typing, which is a single locus based method, should preferably be used in combination with additional markers, such as SCCmec typing or resistance or virulence genes detection.