MRSA, Mersa, Staph, Staff Infection, Treatment & Symptoms

Fatty Food Can Weaken the Immune System

Fatty Food Can Weaken the Immune System.

Fresh evidence that fatty food is bad for our health has come to light: mice fed a lard-based diet over a long period got worse at fighting bacteria in the blood, reveals a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy. The mice fed the lard-based diet derived 60 per cent of their total calories from fat. They were compared with mice fed a low-fat diet, where no more than 10 percent of their calories came from fat. As expected, the mice on the high-fat diet got fatter. A more surprising result was that their immune system was less active. The white blood cells got worse at dealing with bacteria in the blood, which could have contributed to many dying of sepsis.

Poor diet creates MRSA pneumonia risk

Immunization protected well nourished mice but not undernourished ones from lung injury in Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection - 7thSpace Interactive.

Staphylococcus aureus methicillin-resistant (MRSA) has been frequently isolated from endotracheal and lung puncture aspirates in malnourished children with pneumonia. In this work we evaluated the susceptibility of undernourished BALB/c mice and its ability to mount a protective immunity against MRSA with emphasis on the lung involvement. Results: BALB/c mice submitted to a 20% dietary restriction during 20 days presented a significant decrease in body weight, lymphocyte number and also atrophy in thymus and intestinal epithelium. Determination of bacterial load by the number of colony forming units (CFU) indicated a similar susceptibility whereas the findings of Gram stain clearly suggested a higher amount of bacteria in the lungs of normal mice than in the undernourished ones. Immunization reduced bacterial growth in the lungs of normal mice but not in the undernourished ones. Histopathological analysis showed that inflammation appeared in the lungs from normal mice only after infection and that immunization prevented this pulmonary inflammatory process. On the other hand, undernourished mice presented lung inflammation even before infection.

Learn How to Boost Your Immune System

Link:  MRSAResources.com - Yahoo! News.

In a natural evolution of their work towards MRSA (Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus) education, awareness and support, MRSA Resources ( http://www.mrsaresources.com/ ) is beginning a study group for anyone who wants to learn more about natural immune system support and general wellness. They will be doing interactive group studies of popular books from well known authors in the fields of nutrition, wellness and healing. The first book in the study will be Dr. Andrew Weil's book, Eight Weeks to Optimum Health. Anyone who wishes to join the group is welcome, and prior association with MRSA Resources is not required. The study will officially kick off on Monday, November 21st, with Week One, but they will be covering the introductory materials during this week prior, so feel free to join the group right away. The purchase of the books involved in the study group is not required to participate in the group, but is recommended in order to get the most out of the group study.

HighWire Press -- Medline Abstract

Which testLink: HighWire Press -- Medline Abstract.

Since its introduction in 1984 several small trials have studied the infection prevention regimen of selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) in intensive care patients. Although meta-analyses of these studies suggested that SDD could reduce mortality, it continued to be a highly controversial strategy. There were not only serious doubts about the methodological quality of the meta-analyses, fear also existed that SDD would lead to increased antibiotic resistance. Recently, two new large randomized trials have been published that studied the effects of SDD on mortality and resistance. In this article, we will review the concept on which SDD is based and the present knowledge of the effects of SDD on mortality and antibiotic resistance. RECENT FINDINGS: In accordance with earlier meta-analyses of small studies, two recent randomized trials have confirmed that selective decontamination of the digestive tract significantly lowers mortality and decreases the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Limitation of these studies is the fact that they were conducted in intensive-care units (ICUs) with a low prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE). SUMMARY: There is convincing evidence that selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) lowers mortality as well as resistance in circumstances with low prevalence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE). SDD should still be considered experimental in area's where MRSA and VRE are endemic. However, given the important potential benefits of SDD, more studies are urgently needed to adapt SDD in a way that proves effective in those settings.

Preventing Infectious Complications With Nutrition Intervention

Link: Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

THIS IS A VERY WELL WRITTEN AND INFORMATIVE ARTICLE - A MUST READ

The epidemiology of postoperative nosocomial infections is changing. In the 1960s, postoperative wound infections were responsible for 46% of infections. During the 1970s and 1980s, urinary tract infections (UTI) were the most common. Currently, 43% of postoperative nosocomial infections are from pneumonia, with wound infections accounting for approximately 15%.10 This trend dramatically changes the potential morbidity of a postoperative nosocomial infection, as pneumonia carries a much higher mortality than does UTI or wound infection. In the recent PROWESS trial of 1690 patients with sepsis, the most common origin of sepsis was the lung, comprising 53.6%.11

Food
The route, quantity, timing, and nutrient composition also have significant influence on infectious morbidity.19 Enteral nutrition, when compared with parenteral, is now well accepted as the preferred route of feeding in patients unable to volitionally consume adequate nutrients.20 This concept has been supported in more than 46 major papers in the English literature alone, the vast majority of which demonstrate enteral nutrition being far superior to parenteral when it comes to minimizing infection risk. The fact that enteral feeding maintains the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) is thought to be one of the primary reasons why this route of feeding results in significantly fewer infectious complications when compared with parenteral feeding.