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Link: WLBT 3 - Jackson, MS: Ear Stapling.
As the state continues to serve termination notices on ear stapling practices, some mississippians who got infections from it are continuing to recover. "You know, I was in quarantine," said Wendy Womack, one of the first people to get sick after ear stapling. She went into quarantine the day after we first met her, when tests confirmed she had gotten an antibiotic resistant staph infection known as MRSA, from ear stapling, touted as the new way to help people lose weight. "I am still on an antibiotic and another pill, because the antibiotic is strong enough that it causes different types of infections," said Womack. "I'm also on a nasal ointment that I have to put up my nose for 30 days because this type of staph I ended up with from the ear piercing harbors sometimes in the nose. There's a possibility, a little one, that I might have to have some cartiledge removed." Womack has also been told to use a special soap. "I have to scrub and use it in the shower on my whole body because of the type of staph I had." Ear stapling has left Womack with a cabinet of medicines, soaps and antibacterial lotions, and a debt of about $15,000 in hospital bills. And still, she knows it could have been worse. "It almost cost me my life. I have a family. I have three boys. I have a husband. And over an ear stapling, because they used unsterile technique."
Link: Risk factors
Recurrence is a common complication of Staphylococcus aureus infections. A shorter duration of antibiotic treatment for a S. aureus infection has been previously suggested as a possible risk factor for recurrence. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with S. aureus infection complicated by bacteremia who survived their initial treatment (N = 397) at the VA Maryland Health Care System from 1995 to 2004 to determine if 2 weeks or less of antibiotic therapy is significantly associated with a higher rate of recurrence. Recurrence was defined as recurrence of infection because of S. aureus with the same susceptibility to methicillin within 1 year of treatment of the initial bacteremia. Seventeen percent of patients who survived their initial infection had a recurrence of infection. Mean duration of antibiotic therapy in those who recurred was longer than in those who did not recur (21 versus 18 days, P = .18). No evidence was found to support an association between a duration of therapy of 14 days or less and an increased risk for recurrence (RR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.44-1.04). However, being HIV infected (OR, 4.59; 95% CI, 1.61-13.10), having diabetes (OR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.13-3.61) and having an infection due to a methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) (OR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.17-3.80) were independent risk factors for recurrence. In conclusion, 2 weeks or less of antibiotic therapy was not associated with an increased risk for recurrence. However, patients with diabetes or HIV infection and patients with MRSA infections are at an increased risk for recurrence and should be followed more closely.
Link: Percutaneous Endoscopic
The impact of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) sites on morbidity and mortality is uncertain. AIM: We investigated the impact of known prior MRSA colonization on the incidence of symptomatic PEG site wound infection and mortality. METHODS: Consecutive patients who had PEG tubes inserted recently at our hospital were identified. The presence or absence of MRSA colonization before PEG placement was noted. Patients were observed for wound infection, and swabs were taken from the site if there was clinical infection. Mortality within 30 days of PEG placement was determined. RESULTS: A total of 83 patients underwent PEG placement; 23 (28%) of these patients had known MRSA colonization before PEG placement. Of these, 13 (57%) developed symptomatic MRSA infection of the PEG site. The remaining 60 patients (72%) had no known prior MRSA colonization. In these patients, 9 (15%) developed symptomatic MRSA infection of the PEG site. The overall incidence of wound infection was 37% (31) of the total undergoing PEG placement, of whom 71% (22) had developed MRSA infection. The mortality of those with symptomatic MRSA infection of the PEG site was 9% (2/22), whereas the mortality from non-MRSA-infected PEGs was 20% (12/61). CONCLUSION: Patients with prior MRSA colonization had a significantly higher risk of developing symptomatic MRSA infection of the PEG site. However, there was still a significant risk (15%) of developing MRSA infection of the PEG site for patients with no known prior MRSA infection. MRSA infection of the PEG site did not affect mortality.
Link: Control of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Spanish hospitals
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the main nosocomial pathogens. The incidence of MRSA infections is increasing in Spain. The objective of this study was to investigate the measures used for surveillance and control of MRSA in a sample of Spanish hospitals. METHODS. A questionnaire survey was done, including data on the incidence of MRSA infection/colonization for 2002, the microbiological methods used to study S. aureus susceptibility, and the use of control measures based on published guidelines. RESULTS. Sixty-one hospitals with a catchment population of 16 million inhabitants participated. Automatic methods were most frequently used for routine susceptibility testing. The median incidence was 0.45 cases/100 admissions; this data could be obtained from only 70% of the centers. In 59%, the incidence was indicative of high transmission. Isolation precautions were indicated for all patients with MRSA in 95% of the hospitals; screening of carriers among patients was performed in 18% to 72%, depending on the circumstances. Health care workers from at least one unit had been screened in 52% of the hospitals during 2002. Mupirocin was used for the treatment of 90% of colonized persons. CONCLUSION. There is considerable variation in the application of control measures in the hospitals surveyed. National guidelines with recommendations for MRSA control are needed in Spain.
Link: News
Dr. van de Sande-Bruinsma presented the resistance trends from 1999 to 2004 for some of the main indicator pathogens -- MRSA, vancomycin-resistant E. faecium and fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli. This EARSS antimicrobial susceptibility data is routinely generated from submissions by more than 800 laboratories serving 1300 hospitals in 31 European countries. For MRSA, the countries of central and northern Europe are still showing an increase in rates of resistance. This is even happening in Scandinavian countries, which have maintained low rates of MRSA infection (<1%) for many years. This trend must be taken seriously as a low threshold for losing control may exist, although it remains to be defined, Dr. van de Sande-Bruinsma said.
Link: Keck Futures Initiative announces grant recipients.
EXPLORING THE EMERGING ROLE OF PUBLIC HEALTH IN INTEGRATING GENOMICS INTO THE CONTROL AND PREVENTION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES - $75,000 Blower, Breban, and Vardavas will collaborate with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate the "superbug" methicillin-resistant STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS (MRSA). These researchers will decide how genetic data can be used to characterize outbreaks, and predict the size and frequency; and design effective control strategies for MRSA at the state and the national level.
Link: News - National Danish
This is a very important story. For the model MRSA avoiding nation to be seeing a doubling of MRSA every year is very worrying. Click the link above for the whole story. It is vague as to the cause beyond citing foreign nationals. We believe that MRSA super carriers often have an indulgent sex or drugs lifestyle and that they infect many others leading more mundane lives until this infection touches the innocent. The next few years will tell whether there is evidence for this thesis.
The alarming increase of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) cases in Denmark is closely related to skin and soft tissue infections where there is a high prevalence of underlying skin disease and independent risk factors involved are foreign ethnicity and prior hospitalisation. Sidsel B�cher, MD, project manager and PhD student, Staphylococcus Laboratory, National Centre for Antimicrobials and Infection Control, Copenhagen, Denmark, reported on this multicentre, prospective, case-control study here April 3rd at the 16th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases on behalf of the Danish CA-MRSA Study Group. Mr. B�cher conducted his research with Robert Skov, MD, head of the Staphylococcus Laboratory. Along with other Scandinavian countries, Denmark has remained a low prevalence area for MRSA, with <1% MRSA found in bacteremias up to 2005. However, the last 3 to 4 years have seen more or less a doubling of the number of MRSA cases each year, which appears to be driven by cases of community-acquired infection (CA-MRSA).
Link: News
In the isolates obtained from 541 people, the incidence of MRSA infection/colonisation showed a gradual increase from 1997, with an increasing rate apparent since 2003. When analyzed according to HCI/ non-HCI status, although the incidence in the HCI setting has generally been higher than that for non-HCI, the patterns of the increases seen in both group are such that for 2005 this difference has disappeared, mainly due to the continuous steady increase in the non-HCI setting. "The PVL isolates found in health care institutions do not differ in sequence type or SCCmec type from those discovered outside health care institutions, most likely meaning that the PVL isolates are a result of MRSA infection acquired in the community but discovered inside institutions." This potentially indicates a shift in the lineages of the CA-MRSA, from being dominated by ST80 to being dominated by ST8, Dr. Fossum said. Therefore, along with the worrying increases in MRSA incidence in Norway, this detailed MRSA type analysis also indicates both a shift in the lineages of CA-MRSA and a shift of CA-MRSA into the health care institution setting. The true levels and significance of these trends, however, remain to be seen, Dr. Fossum said.
Link: Today Tonight on Seven.
The only hospital in our study with a clean slate so to speak was Melbourne's Monash medical centre. Professor Peter Collignon is in charge of infectious diseases at Canberra hospital. He was also one of the few in the medical profession prepared to admit super bugs are a crisis for our health system. "I mean there are lots of people who die every year in Australia from infections a number of which are eminently preventable something like 6 to 8 per cent of people who come into hospital end up with an infection," he said. According to Dr Collignon the reasons for our high infection rates were simple. Medical staff only washed their hands about a tenth as often as they should, and many hospitals don't isolate their infected patients. "I mean we worry about HIV and how many people that kills per year and a lot of even cancers, but when you look at just one germ like staph aureus it probably kills at least 2 000 people per year in Australia just from getting in the blood stream," he said.
Link: Risk factors for specific methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clones in a Korean hospital..
OBJECTIVES: To analyse the risk factors for nosocomial methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections caused by different clonal types. METHODS: A total of 134 non-duplicate nosocomial MRSA isolates were analysed for clonal types by molecular typing techniques. The medical records of 90 patients who had documented MRSA infection were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: Two predominant MRSA clones of sequence types (STs) ST239 (n = 75) and ST5 (n = 39) accounted for 85% of the isolates. Management of patients in the departments of orthopaedic surgery, neurosurgery and plastic surgery was identified as a risk factor for infection with MRSA of ST239, while the presence of intravascular catheters was a risk factor for infection with ST5. Pulmonary infection was significantly higher in the patients infected with ST239 strains than in the patients infected with ST5 strains (P < 0.05). The overall mean duration of antimicrobial therapy for the patients with ST239 infection was significantly more than that for the patients with ST5 infection (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: ST239 and ST5 were the predominant MRSA clones in the study hospital. Risk factors were significantly different between ST239 and ST5 strains. The results of this study will be of use in designing larger prospective epidemiological studies for MRSA infection based on clonal types.
Link: Trinidad News
Recently, with the incidence of infection locally, the newspapers have been enquiring about the ability of our hospitals to contain the super bug known as MRSA. It has proven to be dangerous in hospitals in the developed world, where the standards and physical and human resources are superior to those in ours. It has caused the majority of the some 60-80,000 deaths per year in the US and 5,000 in the UK. It could be devastating if (when?) it were to take hold in any of our hospitals.
Link: Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation.
There has been a school of thought that says MRSA only leads to longer stays, not more deaths, than other infections such as MSSA. This study contradicts that.
Both methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) can cause potentially severe infections, such as bacteraemia, surgical site infections, complicated skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI), and ventilator-associated pneumonia. However, they are also involved in a large number of mainly minor SSTI and are often mere colonizers without leading to clinical infections. Severe MRSA infections are associated with increased length of stay, morbidity, cost (primarily driven by increased length of stay and not by the cost of antimicrobials) and mortality. In a large meta-analysis of 31 studies of S. aureus bacteraemia pooled between 1980 and 2000 [1], Cosgrove et al. [1] found a doubling of mortality with MRSA bacteraemia
Link: Epidemic
Recent reports indicate that community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) now has reached epidemic proportions in many areas and has become a worldwide problem.4-12 Kuehnert et al. (2006) estimate, based on samples obtained in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, that 32.4 percent of the U.S. population are colonized with S. aureus.13 Circumcision long has been known to increase the risk of S. aureus infection in newborn boys. The advent of epidemic CA-MRSA dramatically worsens the risks associated with Staphylococcus infection because: * the presence of CA-MRSA in epidemic proportions increases the chance of an infant being infected with MRSA by caregivers. * the threat to health is escalated beyond that posed by methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) if an infant should be infected. * the risk of death is increased. This statement reviews the literature regarding MRSA with an emphasis on the risk to newborn circumcised boys. The Circumcision Wound as Portal-of-Entry for Staphylococcus aureus The circumcision wound is a known portal-of-entry for the pathogen and significantly increases circumcised boys' risk. Sauer (1943) reported fatal Staphylococcus broncho-pneumonia after ritual circumcision.14 Isbester (1959) identified circumcision as a factor in lowering resistance.15 Thompson et al. (1963,1965) reported that boys have about twice the infection rate of girls, and circumcised boys have twice as much SA disease as non-circumcised boys (26 percent compared to 13 percent).
Link: (TheyWorkForYou.com).
Keith Vaz (Leicester East, Lab) Hansard source
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the infection rate was for patients receiving NHS dialysis treatment in the last period for which figures are available.
Jane Kennedy (Minister of State (Quality and Patient Safety), Department of Health) Hansard source National surveillance of healthcare associated infections, including methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia, is undertaken by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), based on data supplied by the national health service. Data specifically relating to the infection rate for patients receiving dialysis treatment is not available. However, data showing the MRSA bacteraemia rates per acute trust is available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/ll/40/15/04114015.pdf.
Link: Infection Control Today
But this was not the study’s only finding. Although women who had heart surgery were much more likely to have an infection than their male counterparts, women with an infection were less likely to die than men who had an infection. “This finding was a surprise since, overall, women had greater mortality,” says Rogers. “But when we looked closer, we found that there were two underlying relationships here: a greater prevalence of infection in women, and a higher mortality once infected for men.” This pattern of greater morbidity in women but greater mortality for men has been observed before in elderly populations, Rogers notes. “Women tend to live with their disease; men die of it,” she says. In this case, the overall mortality was higher in women because infections were so much more prevalent among them. In all, about 12 percent of patients in the study who had infections during their hospital stay died before leaving the hospital, compared with 4 percent of those without infections. And when the researchers looked at who had died in the first 30 and 100 days after their operation, those who had had an infection in the hospital were still far more likely to die.
Link: Epidemiology
Background. Most data on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) isolates come from large tertiary care centers. Infection control personnel need to understand the epidemiology of MRSA and VRE across the continuum of care, including small rural hospitals, to develop effective control strategies.Objective. To describe the epidemiology of MRSA and VRE in Iowa.Setting. Fifteen hospitals in Iowa.Methods Between July 1998 and June 2001, a total of 1,968 S. aureus isolates and 1,845 Enterococcus isolates from patients infected with these pathogens were examined. Multivariate models were developed to evaluate patient and institutional risk factors for MRSA infection and VRE infection.Results. The proportion of S. aureus isolates resistant to methicillin was 31%, and the proportion of Enterococcus isolates resistant to vancomycin was 6%. Independent risk factors for MRSA infection included residence in a long-term care facility, age of more than 60 years, hospitalization in a hospital with less than 200 short-term care beds, and acquiring the infection in the hospital. Independent risk factors for VRE infection included use of a central venous catheter, residence in a long-term care facility, acquisition of infection in the hospital, and hospitalization in a hospital with more than 200 short-term care beds.Conclusions. In Iowa, the epidemiology of MRSA differ from those of VRE. MRSA has become established in small rural hospitals. Effective MRSA control strategies may require inclusion of all hospitals in a state or region.
Link: Infection Control Today
Many of the medical risks associated with smoking, such as cancer, emphysema and heart attacks, are well-known to physicians and the general public. However, there is new evidence that more children exposed to tobacco smoke carry Streptococcus pneumoniae than children without smoking exposure, according to an article in the April 1, 2006 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online. S. pneumoniae often exists in the nose and throat, and children are more likely than adults to carry it. If the bacteria, also called pneumococci, grow out of control, infection can result in minor illnesses like ear infections or lead to more serious diseases like sinusitis, pneumonia and meningitis. Researchers in Israel conducted a surveillance study of more than 200 young children and their mothers. They swabbed the noses and throats of the subjects to determine bacterial carriage rates, and then analyzed the data based on the children's and mothers' exposure to smoking. Seventy-six percent of the children exposed to tobacco smoke carried pneumococci, compared to 60 percent of those not exposed.
Link: BREITBART.COM
North Carolina health officials are investigating the death of a woman who died last week of a flesh-eating bacteria three days after accidentally jamming her hand in a wheelchair while working at a nursing home. Nursing assistant Sharron Bishop, 44, died Feb. 27. A doctor said a rare flesh-eating bacteria may have entered her body through a thumb injury and she turned from healthy to fatally ill. The culprit was a rare invasive form of group A streptococcal bacteria, said Debbie Crane, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health and Human Services. The noninvasive form is widespread and is commonly known for causing strep throat, she said. "It's kind of like getting bitten by a shark or struck by lightning," she said. "It's not something that spreads to the community." North Carolina gets about 125 reports of the invasive form of strep annually, and about 10 percent are fatal, she said. David Bishop said doctors at UNC Hospitals, where Sharron Bishop died, have told him it's impossible to know how his wife contracted the rare infection. "The UNC doctors said she could have picked it up at the gas station, at the grocery store, anywhere," he said. "We will never know." Sharon Bishop complained on Feb. 24 about a swollen thumb. She had jammed it at work and worried that she had dislocated it. David Bishop took her to Betsy Johnson Regional Hospital, where doctors gave her pain medication and sent her home. The swelling got worse. By the morning of Feb. 27, her arm was twice as large as normal and looked like it would burst, David Bishop said. Fluid leaked from her elbow and wrist. She complained of terrific pain.
Link: Beacon Journal
When Mary Pashley, a 75-year-old resident of Coventry Township, went into The Cleveland Clinic for open heart surgery in September, she thought she knew the risks. But doctors had never brought up one of the biggest dangers -- infection acquired during hospital stays. And less than three months after surgery to repair a deteriorating heart, Pashley was dead. The culprit was a bloodstream infection from a bacterium called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). It's one of the most problematic infections to fight because the bacterium is resistant to many drugs. Pashley, a former real estate agent and performer for water-ski shows, underwent surgery at The Cleveland Clinic on Sept. 27. She had been anticipating a 10-day hospital stay. Eight days later, she went into septic shock from MRSA. For the rest of her life, in the Clinic and in rehab facilities, she battled the infection. When she died on Dec. 14, after suffering several strokes, her death certificate listed sepsis as the cause. That day, as she took her last labored breaths after life support was removed, her husband Dick was there, stroking her hair. ``Carelessness got her infected,'' Dick Pashley says. ``What can be done to stop this kind of thing?'' Infections widespread Each year, about 2 million patients -- one in every 20 -- gets infected during a hospital stay, and, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 90,000 of those patients die from the infections.
Link: Trinidad News
The dreaded Methicilline Resistant Stsph Aerus (MRSA) virus was diagnosed in a patient who was admitted to the San Fernando General Hospital two weeks ago. Medical Chief of Staff Dr Austin Trinidade disclosed on Wednesday that the MRSA was found in a patient who was admitted for treatment to burns. He said that the patient was treated and sent to an infectious ward. Trinidade was responding to a question from Senator Mary King, Chairperson of the Joint Select Committee of Parliament who was meeting with the South West Regional Health Authority to discuss the operations of the authority. Trinidad said the deadly infection is resistant to antibiotics and " from time to time we have found this in the hospital and have treated it". He said it can be spread by contact and persons who can be easily infected are those suffering with diabetes. Trinidade had high praise for the Infection Control Staff of the hospital who found the bug and immediately reported it to him. MRSA is a germ that can cause staphylococcal infection and is usually found in hospitals and other health care institutions.
Link: Columbus cases of staph infection rising - Science.
An aggressive strain of the common staph infection - also known as MRSA - is popping up around Columbus. The infectious critter is a strain of staphylococcus aureus bacteria that is resistant to most antibiotics, drugs used to kill bacteria or slow their growth. MRSA infections are most commonly seen in health care facilities, such as hospitals and nursing homes. Recently, however, cases have been reported in Columbus residents who have not had recent exposure to these health -care facilities. MRSA is considered a class C infection and is not on the Ohio Department of Health's list of reportable diseases. This is because class C infections are "innocent until proven guilty": The ill are screened and asked to have limited contact with others until the test results come back. If positive, more intense treatment and quarantine measures are taken while results negative for a disease, provide patients more lenient control. The disease is, however, on Ohio Department of Health's list of diseases of public health concern needing timely response, because outbreaks of MRSA have been reported to Ohio Department of Health and an epidemic spread has been established, according to documents from the Ohio Department of Health's public affairs office. Kristopher Weiss, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Health, said that in instances which more than two people who can be associated with each other contract the infection, the Ohio Department of Health considers this a community outbreak.
Link: HighWire Press -- Medline Abstract.
To obtain data on peritonitis and exit-site and/or tunnel infections (ESI/TI) in Japanese children undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) from January 1999 through June 2003, we surveyed 22 members of the Japanese Study Group of Pediatric Peritoneal Dialysis (JSPPD) by questionnaire. One hundred and thirty patients were eligible. Seventy episodes of bacterial peritonitis occurred in 45 patients (0.17 episodes/patient-year), and 123 ESI/TI occurred in 60 patients (0.29 episodes/patient-year). S. aureus and MRSA were found to be the causative organisms in 39% and 13% of the peritonitis episodes, and in 59% and 20% of the ESI/TI, respectively. Tunnel infection was found in 55% of the MRSA peritonitis episodes. Eleven percent of the peritonitis episodes relapsed, and 19% needed hemodialysis. One patient died due to MRSA peritonitis. The PD catheter was removed in all fungal and 78% of MRSA peritonitis. However, the type of organism did not influence the need for catheter-related surgery for ESI/TI. Neither peritonitis nor ESI/TI was prevented by the use of a swan-neck catheter, a downward-pointing exit site, povidone iodine exit-site care, bathing instruments, or nasal mupirocin. In conclusion, MRSA peritonitis was not uncommon in children in Japan, was frequently associated with tunnel infections, and had a poor outcome. No association was found between the occurrence of infection and preventive measures previously reported as effective. Alternative approaches are needed in children, especially for MRSA.
Link: ScienceDaily:
The MRSA ‘superbug’ evades many of the measures introduced to combat its spread by infecting a common single-celled organism found almost everywhere in hospital wards, according to new research published in the journal Environmental Microbiology. Microscope image of an amoeba with epidemic MRSA stained green. (Image courtesy of University of Bath) Scientists from the University of Bath have shown that MRSA infects and replicates in a species of amoeba, called Acanthamoeba polyphaga, which is ubiquitous in the environment and can be found on inanimate objects such as vases, sinks and walls. As amoeba produce cysts to help them spread, this could mean that MRSA maybe able to be ‘blown in the wind’ between different locations. Further evidence from research on other pathogens suggests that by infecting amoeba first, MRSA may emerge more virulent and more resistant to antibiotics when it infects humans. “Infection control policies for hospitals should recognise the role played by amoeba in the survival of MRSA, and evaluate control procedures accordingly,” said Professor Mike Brown from the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology at the University of Bath. “Until now this source of MRSA has been totally unrecognised. This is a non-patient source of replication and given that amoeba and other protozoa are ubiquitous, including in hospitals, they are likely to contribute to the persistence of MRSA in the hospital environment”. “Adding to the concern is that amoebal cysts have been shown to trap pathogens and could potentially be dispersed widely by air currents, especially when they are dry.
Link: National hospital
National hospital infection surveillances on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) had been carried out in 1995 and 1996. Recently, in the UK and the USA, the prevalence of MRSA has increased and strict precautions against MRSA are recommended. In Japan, hospital infection rates of MRSA have appeared to be stable in recent years, but a reevaluation is required to confirm this assumption. In a nationwide surveillance, the incidences of MRSA hospital infections per 100 admissions remained stable at between 0.7 and 0.8 from 1999 to 2003, with a tendency towards a slight decline being observed. This study shows that the precautions against MRSA infection in Japan may prove to be an effective preventive measure.
Link: Annals of Internal Medicine.
Results: The prevalence of colonization with S. aureus and with MRSA was 31.6% and 0.84%, respectively, in the noninstitutionalized U.S. population. People younger than 65 years of age, men, persons with less education, and persons with asthma were more likely to acquire S. aureus. Persons of black race and those of Mexican birth had lower risk for S. aureus colonization. Persons 65 years of age or older, women, persons with diabetes, and those who were in long-term care in the past year were more likely to have MRSA colonization. Hispanic persons had statistically significantly less risk than white persons. Isolates of MRSA with staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec type IV (which is often associated with community-associated MRSA) were statistically significantly more likely to be sensitive to erythromycin, clindamycin, and ciprofloxacin. Limitations: Colonizing isolates may be different from isolates associated with infection. Risk factors identified may differ from those associated with invasive disease. The 2001–2002 NHANES data are several years old and may not reflect the most recent changes in epidemiology, but they are the only national data available. Conclusions: Characteristics of persons with MSSA and MRSA seem to differ. These findings may be useful for differentiating those who may be at risk for MRSA.
Link: Journal of Clinical Microbiology.
Recurrence of osteomyelitis by the same bacterial strain is well known. We report three patients with a second episode of osteomyelitis at the same site caused by different strains of bacteria from the original. Formerly infected and altered bone surface might present a region of diminished resistance for a new infection.
Link: Disaster News Network
MRSA is a growing problem that's not limited to disaster-stricken areas. But post-hurricane conditions have increased the risk of contracting MRSA, said Boe. "I think there ought to be a national tracking of this in the wake of Katrina," he said, but acknowledged that such a program would have to be well-publicized in order to work well. "These people scatter to the four winds when they leave and get seen by local physicians," he said. "Unless they get a heads up, they're not going to report these things." There is a precedent for post-disaster health monitoring. In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the World Trade Center Medical Monitoring Program was created with support from the United Church of Christ (UCC) and other partners. The program continues to provide free, confidential medical exams to workers and volunteers who responded to the terrorist attacks in New York City.
Link: MRSA In Sweden
There are 2 ways to read this story. Blame the foreigners or blame the holidaymakers. I'm leaning towards the holidaymakers who bring it back. It would be interesting to know more about sources of infections - is the Thai sex industry a major MRSA amplification engine?
A quarter of all people with MRSA in Sweden between 2000 and 2003 were infected abroad. A study published today in the open access journal BMC Infectious Diseases reveals that the number of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in Sweden nearly doubled between 2000 and 2003. The study also shows that 25% of all cases came from abroad. This highlights the threat posed by international transmission of MRSA to countries in which incidence of MRSA infection is still relatively low.
Link: ABC News
David Jackson still can't believe his ex-wife, Kimberly, is gone — the victim of a deadly infection she contracted from an unsanitary pedicure. "Something so stupid like a pedicure took her life," Jackson said. "She couldn't get it healed. No matter what she was doing, and the antibiotics just wasn't, wouldn't stop it." Kimberly Jackson had contracted a staph infection — a bacterial infection that can strike anywhere in the body, from the blood to the skin. Many of these bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics, and that has many doctors worried. The Infectious Diseases Society of America today released a "hit list" of six drug-resistant "superbugs." No. 1 on that list is a potentially deadly strain of staph called MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).
Link: Belfast Telegraph.
The top Ulster infection control doctor who found MRSA-causing bacteria on mobile phones used by doctors and nurses in hospital has been appointed one of the World Health Organisation's key international expert advisers, it can be revealed today. Dr Nizam Damani, Consultant Microbiologist and Head of Infection Control at Craigavon Area Hospital, has become specialist adviser to the WHO's 'Global Patient Safety Challenge'. In his role he will be probing hospital-acquired infection and ways of tackling it worldwide. "There are about 10 or 11 international experts in the team," he said. "Hopefully I can bring back ideas that will help Northern Ireland's hospitals tackle infection.
Link: ICEID 2006 March 19-22, 2006 Atlanta, GA.
The International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases was first convened in 1998; ICEID 2006 marks its fifth occurence. The conference brings together public health professional to encourage the exchange of scientific and public health information on global emerging infectious disease issues. The program will include plenary and panel sessions with invited speakers as well as oral and poster presentations on emerging infections. Major topics include current work on surveillance, epidemiology, research, communication and training, bioterrorism, and preventions and control of emerging infectious diseases, both in the United States and abroad.
Link: Daily Mail.
Up to one in 10 patients catches an infection in hospital, alarming figures have revealed. The chances of developing a potentially fatal illness simply by checking into a British ward are among the highest in the world, says a report from the British Medical Association. Such illnesses, including the superbug MRSA and infection clostridium difficile, contribute to the deaths of at least 5,000 patients a year. Other estimates claim the real figure may be twice as high. In England alone, 300,000 patients every year pick up an infection in hospital. The results range from pain and severe chronic illness to permanent disability and, in some cases, death. The report from the BMA's influential Board of Science says government NHS targets have played a part in rising infection rates. A reduction in beds and pressure to treat and discharge a greater number of patients has led to higher bed occupancy rates.
Link: HighWire Press -- Medline Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection appears to be increasing, the UK has one of the worst MRSA rates in Europe. As urological patients are at high risk, the aim of this study was to determine the number of newly diagnosed cases of MRSA detected in a urology ward. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The urology department serves an annual local population of greater than 500,000 with 30 inpatient beds and a tertiary population of 1 million. Over a five year period, we retrospectively recorded all patients with a new diagnosis of MRSA. We also determined colonization site and if the diagnosis of MRSA was made in an elective surgical patient or a patient admitted as an emergency. RESULTS: The mean number of newly diagnosed cases of MRSA was 20.6 per year. The percentage of patients with a new diagnosis of MRSA was less than or equal to 1% per year with no significant difference of new cases of MRSA over five years. Emergency patients had a trend towards a mean higher rate of MRSA. The commonest site of MRSA colonization was from catheters (32%) and open wounds (18%). DISCUSSION: MRSA is of concern, as compared to methicillin-sensitive staphylococcus aureus, because it is associated with high rates of clinically relevant infection, increased hospital stay and cost, greater mortality and high vancomycin usage. Mandatory reporting has shown a steady increase in the number of cases of MRSA infection over the past four years. We found that the number of newly diagnosed cases of MRSA was low, at less than or equal to 1% of patients per year. Furthermore, the number of new cases of MRSA remained constant over five years suggesting low acquisition rates in a busy UK urology ward. PMID: 16426726
Link: Fatal Pneumonia
Severe infections are the most dangerous complications in liver transplantation and their prevention is one of the major goals. A 60-year-old Saudi-Arabian female with decompensated hepatitis C liver cirrhosis received a right-lobe liver graft from her healthy daughter. After 9 days, the patient developed a rapidly progressive necrotizing pneumonia that was fatal in spite of extracorporal lung assist. The pneumonia was due to a Panton-Valentine Leucocidine-positive (PVL) methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), or "community-acquired" MRSA, that had not been detectable in the patient preoperatively. The same strain of PVL-MRSA could be demonstrated in the nares of the asymptomatic donor, but not of other relatives, patients, or medical staff. These findings strongly suggest transmission of PVL-MRSA from the donor to the recipient. This case demonstrates a previously unknown, and potentially fatal, risk in living-donor liver transplantation: transmission of a severe infection from a healthy donor to the recipient.
Link: Incidence
The distribution of 3497 Staphylococcus aureus strains according to methicillin resistance, specimens, departmental profession and antibiotic resistance patterns was analysed. The strains were cultured from the patients of the Clinical Center of Skopje, Macedonia, between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2004. The majority of the isolates was obtained from suppurated wounds (28.5%), nares (21%), intratracheal tubes (13%) and blood cultures (11.8%). Overall 1100 (31.4%) of the isolates was methicillin-resistant with 1 microg oxacillin disc. Of these 35.5%, 30.5% and 10.4% were cultured from wounds, intratracheal tubes and blood samples, respectively. The prevalence of MRSA strains was 78.6%, 75%, 44.2% and 37.3% in specimens of ICU, Coma Center, General Surgery and Haematology patients. There were extremely big differences in the frequency of MRSA between departments with particular specialisation. The 2397 MSSA isolates belonged to practically one antibiotic resistance pattern characterised with penicillin resistance and susceptibility to other antistaphylococcal drugs. The 1100 MRSA isolates distributed to four antibiotic resistance patterns on the basis of their resistance to oxacillin, penicillin, amoxicillin clavulanic acid, azithromycin, clindamycin, amikacin, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim sulphamethoxasole, vancomycin and teicoplanin. All the MRSA isolates were multidrug resistant but sensitive to glycopeptides.
Link: Changes
Medical proffesionals can find the full report above
The proportion of Staphylococcus aureus isolates that were methicillin resistant (MRSA) increased from 35.9% in 1992 to 64.4% in 2003 for hospitals in the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance system. During the same period, there was a decrease in resistance rates for several non- beta -lactam drugs among the MRSA isolates.
Link: Journal of Clinical Microbiology.
The data support the origin of the Cordobes clone as a member of a lineage that includes the pediatric and New York/Japan international clones and that is genetically related to the British EMRSA-3 strain. Interestingly, the pediatric clone, isolated from most community-acquired infections in Cordoba, was characterized by ST100, a single-locus variant of ST5 and a new variant of SCCmec type related to SCCmec type IVc.
Link: Journal of Clinical Microbiology.
Pulsed-field gel electrophoretic analysis of 2,144 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains isolated from patients in Spanish hospitals over a 7-year period revealed 17 predominant profiles. Typing showed the replacement of Iberian clone E1 (ST247-MRSA-I) by two prevalent clones, E7 and E8, that are closely related to each other and have the same genetic background as ST125-MRSA-IV.
Link: Journal of Clinical Microbiology.
Staphylococcal interspersed repeat unit typing has previously been shown to have the ability to discriminate between epidemic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains in the United Kingdom. The current study illustrates its ability to distinguish between strains within an endemic setting thereby providing a rapid transportable typing method for the identification of transmission events.
Link: Journal of Medical Microbiology.
The aim of this study was to identify a set of genetic polymorphisms that efficiently divides methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains into groups consistent with the population structure. The rationale was that such polymorphisms could underpin rapid real-time PCR or low-density array-based methods for monitoring MRSA dissemination in a cost-effective manner. Previously, the authors devised a computerized method for identifying sets of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with high resolving power that are defined by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) databases, and also developed a real-time PCR method for interrogating a seven-member SNP set for genotyping S. aureus. Here, it is shown that these seven SNPs efficiently resolve the major MRSA lineages and define 27 genotypes. The SNP-based genotypes are consistent with the MRSA population structure as defined by eBURST analysis. The capacity of binary markers to improve resolution was tested using 107 diverse MRSA isolates of Australian origin that encompass nine SNP-based genotypes. The addition of the virulence-associated genes cna, pvl and bbp/sdrE, and the integrated plasmids pT181, pI258 and pUB110, resolved the nine SNP-based genotypes into 21 combinatorial genotypes. Subtyping of the SCCmec locus revealed new SCCmec types and increased the number of combinatorial genotypes to 24. It was concluded that these polymorphisms provide a facile means of assigning MRSA isolates into well-recognized lineages.
Link: News
New research estimates that about 2 million people carry a strain of drug-resistant bacteria in their noses. The research, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is the first reliable nationwide estimate of colonization with Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). It is published in the Jan. 15 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online.
Those colonized with normal strains of staph are at higher risk of infection with the bacterium, which can lead to conditions ranging from mild skin infections to fatal toxic shock syndrome. MRSA causes more difficult-to-treat and, sometimes, more virulent illnesses. MRSA was once primarily a problem in hospitals, but is now a growing problem in communities around the country.
Matthew J. Kuehnert, MD, and colleagues collected samples from nearly 10,000 participants in the 2001-2002 National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey, a representative sample of the U.S. population.
Nearly one-third were found to be colonized with staph.
Link: HighWire Press -- Medline Abstract.
Objective: To determine the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains among clinical isolates collected from the 4 tertiary hospitals in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, and to test the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of S. aureus isolates against 9 antimicrobial agents. Materials and Methods: A total of 512 S. aureus clinical isolates were collected during a period of 1 year starting in April 2003 in Al-Noor, King Abdul-Aziz, Hera and King Faisal Hospitals, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The sensitivity patterns of these isolates were determined using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Results: The prevalence of MRSA among S. aureus isolates was 38.9% (199/512). Among 199 MRSA isolates, 78.8% showed multidrug resistance to erythromycin, gentamicin and oxytetracycline. Conclusion: The rate of MRSA resistance in this study was much higher than what had been reported in other areas of Saudi Arabia emphasizing the need for local or country-based surveillance to characterize and monitor MRSA and to develop strategies that will improve MRSA treatment and control. Copyright (c) 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel.
Link: A quarter of Britons know a MRSA victim | the Daily Mail.
This does not auger well if CA MRSA takes hold - nor would it be good if Bird Flu attacks vulnerable MRSA carriers.
A quarter of the population know someone whose family or friends have contracted MRSA, and one in eight has a direct friend of family member who has the deadly bug according to new research.
Government figures show around 5,000 people a year die from hospital-acquired infections.
However the poll funded by Talley Environmental Care found one in four of people were just one-step away from a sufferer.
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Join the debate �Tip of the iceberg
TEC manager Neil Manser believes the problem could be bigger than first understood.
He said: "The well quoted Government figures of 5,000 deaths a year attributed to HAIs, while appalling, may only be the tip of the iceberg as this information is based on assumptions in a very limited report published in 2000 from data gathered over five years ago.
"Our new survey confirms the problem is far bigger than anyone had thought and highlights the need for us to invest in our trained infection control professionals and give them the tools to do their job."
Link: HighWire Press -- Medline Abstract.
Nosocomial infections due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important health problem worldwide. This microorganism causes a variety of clinical infections, including osteomyelitis, invasive endocarditis, septic arthritis and septicemia. Antimicrobial resistance is a factor that influences the persistence of MRSA in the hospital environment. The introduction of molecular typing techniques in epidemiological investigations has provided new tools for identifying the microorganism's origin and routes of dissemination. One of the most important conclusions that have resulted from these types of studies is that a small number of clones are responsible for most of the staphylococcal infections throughout the world.
Link: Chest.
Context: Traditionally, pneumonia developing in patients outside the hospital is categorized as community acquired, even if these patients have been receiving health care in an outpatient facility. Accumulating evidence suggests that health-care–associated infections are distinct from those that are truly community acquired.
Objective: To characterize the microbiology and outcomes among patients with culture-positive community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), health-care–associated pneumonia (HCAP), hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).
Design and setting: A retrospective cohort study based on a large US inpatient database.Patients: A total of 4,543 patients with culture-positive pneumonia admitted into 59 US hospitals between January 1, 2002, and December 31, 2003, and recorded in a large, multi-institutional database of US acute-care hospitals (Cardinal Health-Atlas Research Database; Cardinal Health Clinical Knowledge Services; Marlborough, MA).
Main measures: Culture data (respiratory and blood), in-hospital mortality, length of hospital stay (LOS), and billed hospital charges.
Results: Approximately one half of hospitalized patients with pneumonia had CAP, and > 20% had HCAP. Staphylococcus aureus was a major pathogen in all pneumonia types, with its occurrence markedly higher in the non-CAP groups than in the CAP group. Mortality rates associated with HCAP (19.8%) and HAP (18.8%) were comparable (p > 0.05), and both were significantly higher than that for CAP (10%, all p < 0.0001) and lower than that for VAP (29.3%, all p < 0.0001). Mean LOS varied significantly with pneumonia category (in order of ascending values: CAP, HCAP, HAP, and VAP; all p < 0.0001). Similarly, mean hospital charge varied significantly with pneumonia category (in order of ascending value: CAP, HCAP, HAP, and VAP; all p < 0.0001).Conclusions: The present analysis justified HCAP as a new category of pneumonia. S aureus was a major pathogen of all pneumonias with higher rates in non-CAP pneumonias. Compared with CAP, non-CAP was associated with more severe disease, higher mortality rate, greater LOS, and increased cost.
Link: HighWire Press -- Medline Abstract.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) continues to be a notable cause of hospital-acquired infections. A statewide screening and control policy was implemented in Western Australia (WA) after an outbreak of epidemic MRSA in a Perth hospital in 1982. We report on statutory notifications from1998 to 2002 and review the 20-year period from 1983 to 2002. The rate of reporting of community-associated Western Australia MRSA (WAMRSA) escalated from 1998 to 2002 but may have peaked in 2001. Several outbreaks were halted, but they resulted in an increase in reports as a result of screening. A notable increase in ciprofloxacin resistance during the study period was observed as a result of more United Kingdom epidemic MRSA (EMRSA) -15 and -16. WA has seen a persistently low incidence of multidrug-resistant MRSA because of the screening and decolonization program. Non-multidrug-resistant, community-associated WAMRSA strains have not established in WA hospitals.
Link: RangelMD.com.
This'll make you think! Basic premise is that SA is the problem and that the MRSA version makes you sicker for longer but is no more deadly. Comments welcome
Hospital acquired MRSA is known to be able to spread directly to the community when infected hospital patients or those who become carriers are discharged but an increasing number of MRSA infections are being seen in patients who have no known risk factors (recent hospitalization, health care worker, nursing home exposure, recent antibiotic use). This "community acquired" MRSA as caused quite a stir in the medical community and in the media who (as per par for the course) are giving it amusingly hysterical names like "super bug", "killer Staph", "flesh eating bacteria", and "Mersa" (a bizarre attempt to create a name out of the abbreviation for MRSA). But the reality is that there is nothing "super" about MRSA the superbug. Such lay media hyping implies that MRSA is more virulent (i.e. more harmful) than it's more common cousin Methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus Areus (MSSA). However, MSSA is perfectly capable of killing and eating flesh just as well as MRSA and in fact does so with vigor killing and harming thousands each year despite being totally susceptible to antibiotics. The wrinkle with MRSA is almost exclusively in its antibiotic resistance patterns. It is not at all clear whether MRSA is actually more virulent or more lethal than MSSA. While there is some evidence for worse outcomes with hospital acquired MRSA, other studies have found no differences and others have suggested that the increased risk of death from hospital acquired MRSA infection is related more to factors like the severity of illness and lengths of stay.
Link: EducationGuardian.co.uk
Thames Valley University (TVU) is to lead research into hospital superbugs under a healthcare research contract from the Department of Health. The university's Richard Wells centre is to establish and direct a new national healthcare-associated infection (HCAI) research network, managing work on prevention and control of these infections in the National Health Service on a three year contract. The prevalence of superbugs, such as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), has hardly declined in hospitals in England over the last decade. Although not all of these infections can be avoided, it is estimated that up to one third can be prevented.
Robert Pratt, the director of the Richard Wells research centre, said: "Almost one in every 10 patients develops a new infection when they are cared for in hospital. These new infections, which are often difficult to treat, frequently worsen the patient's original complaint and can cause serious disability and death. What's more, these infections are expensive, costing the NHS �1bn each year.
Link: [Resistant microorganisms in patients transferred from foreign hospitals].
To determine the prevalence of carriers of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and gentamicin-resistant Gram-negative bacilli (GGNB) in patients repatriated from foreign hospitals to The Netherlands. DESIGN: Determination of prevalence. METHOD: In the period May 1998-August 2001, 1167 patients were repatriated. Swab specimens, demographic data and clinical data were obtained during the transfer. RESULTS: The prevalence of carriers of resistant microorganisms was 18.2%. MRSA was carried by 2.7% of the total repatriated group and by 4.7% of patients transferred to a Dutch hospital. Risk factors were antimicrobial treatment (odds ratio (OR): 3.4; 95% CI: 1.2-9.7), length of stay in a foreign hospital > or = 14 days (OR: 5.4; 95% CI: 2.3-12) and artificial ventilation (OR: 8.5; 95% CI: 1.8-41). VRE and GGNB were isolated from 2.7% and 14.1% of patients, respectively. Transfer from Asia or southern, south-eastern and eastern Europe were risk factors for carrying GGNB. CONCLUSION: Carriership of resistant microorganisms was high among repatriated patients. The highest risk of GGNB was more closely associated with the country from which the patient was transferred than the antimicrobial treatment received in the foreign hospital.
Link: Mirror.co.uk
SUPERBUGS: Birmingham THE second city is the worst place in the country for the killer hospital superbug MRSA. The government's latest performance tables showed the University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust came bottom with 152 cases of MRSA between October 2004 and March 2005. The bug kills an estimated 5,000 people a year in the UK.
Link: Health Business - A quarter of Britons.
A quarter of Britons are just one step away from MRSA, a nationwide study has said. The research, from Talley Environmental Care, set out to probe how close the infection is to any individual, and its impact on millions of families. The findings were unveiled at the Infection Control Nurses Association annual conference in Torquay and presented to the Prime Minister at the Labour Party conference. A total of 1,003 people interviewed by market research company BMRB were asked if they had a friend or family member who had contracted MRSA, or knew of someone whose immediate circle had been similarly affected. The results revealed that 14 per cent of those in the poll had family or close friends who had contracted MRSA. Twenty-six per cent of respondents knew of someone whose immediate circle had been affected by MRSA. Talley manager Neil Manser said: “The well-quoted Government figures of 5,000 deaths a year attributed to HAIs, while appalling, may only be the tip of the iceberg, as this information is based on assumptions in a very limited report published in 2000 from data gathered over five years ago. “Our new survey confirms the problem is far bigger than anyone had thought and highlights the need for us to invest in our trained infection control professionals and give them the tools to do their job.”
Link: Torbay Hospital
Torbay Hospital is turning up the heat in its fight against the MRSA super-bug, as staff are being observed this week to ensure they are minimising the risk of infection. The monitoring is part of Infection Control Week and follows on from news of a �700,000 cash injection to increase the number of cleaners at the hospital. Forty specially trained experts will be watching their colleagues perform septic procedures and advising on any improvements. Torbay Hospital recorded 35 cases last year, which will have to be cut to 12 by 2008 if targets are to be met. Of those infected by MRSA at the hospital, 72 per cent are males compared to 28 per cent of females, a trend which is seen throughout the country.
Link: Pathogen
The frequency of Staphylococcus aureus increased over time, corresponding to an increase in the occurrence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). In addition, the rate of isolation of Serratia marcescens also increased over time, especially among patients with urinary tract catheters. Our results demonstrate that the uropathogens isolated at a single institution have shown a trend of increasing resistance to various classes of antimicrobial agents. In addition, serious problems should be anticipated in the treatment of multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa, fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli, and arbekacin-resistant MRSA.
Link: BMJ.
About a quarter of UK hospital patients with methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia are infected before coming to hospital, and nine out of 10 of these patients had been hospitalised before. Wyllie and colleagues (p 992) analysed MRSA infection rates in two hospitals in Oxfordshire over seven years. Half of the patients who came into the hospital infected had no record of previous isolation of MRSA; about a third were admitted to renal, oncology, or haematology wards for intensive day case therapy, and most of the rest were admitted to emergency services.
Link: Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
MMMM ............... With 10% of the population maybe carrying MRSA any way the story below seems a little ridiculous
Law enforcement and court officials are pledging to communicate more after revelations of a sick prisoner forced the closure of a courtroom. A man told Fairfield County Common Pleas Court Judge Chris Martin during a preliminary hearing Thursday he had MRSA, which is a type of staph that is resistant to antibiotics. ADVERTISEMENT Martin's courtroom was closed for about 5 and a half hours - 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hearings were moved to the magistrate's courtroom. Before the day was over, the courtroom was sprayed with a disinfectant. But the incident had many employees concerned about contracting the infection. "We were not aware of it before the hearing," Martin said. "After we did become aware of it, I closed the courtroom until we could get more information about it."