Thursday August 21 2008
HOSPITAL bugs like MRSA and C Diff -- linked to dozens of deaths in Ireland -- may always be with us, a top consultant has warned.
C Diff infection contributed to 10 deaths at St Colmcille's Hospital, Loughlinstown last year, and to 13 deaths at Ennis General Hospital.
A new virulent strain of C Diff, called 027, has emerged recently and it has more toxins in it than in other types of C Diff, making it a more serious strain, consultant microbiologist with the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, Dr Fidelma Fitzpatrick said.
The priority was to minimise the incidence of Healthcare-Associated Infections (HCAIs) as much as possible and she believed hospitals have procedures in place to prevent them.
But eventually eliminating MRSA, C Diff and other infections in hospitals or the community is problematic because "as long as there is healthcare, there will be HCAIs," she said.
High risk patients include those who are older, have a damaged immune system due to cancer or other diseases, patients on antibiotics or those with breaks in their skin from insertion of drips, from wounds or burns or after surgery.
C Diff is a bug found in the bowel of about one in 20 healthy patients and is kept in check by the "good" bacteria in the bowel.
"If a patient takes an antibiotic, sometimes this can kill off the good bacteria in the bowel and that allows bugs such as C Diff to multiply and in some patients this can also lead to C Diff infection," Dr Fitzpatrick said.
The most common symptom of C Diff is diarrhoea, although some people complain of nausea, reduced appetite and crampy abdominal pain.
"It's important to remember that most patients recover completely from C Diff," she said.
"However, in a small percentage of patients, the infection causes an inflammation of the bowel (colitis) and that can be very serious. But again, it is more serious in the high risk groups of patients."
The most recent comprehensive study, in 2006, showed that approximately one in 20 Irish patients had a HCAI at the time of the study. The incidence was less than in England, where around one in 12 patients had a HCAI at the time.
- Source: - Harold.ie
Showing posts with label MRSA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MRSA. Show all posts
Thursday, August 21, 2008
MicuRx Pharmaceuticals Selects Next-Generation Antibiotic Candidate Targeting MRSA and Expands Operation in China
MicuRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately-held biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation antibiotics, today announced the nomination of MRX- I as its first preclinical development candidate. MRX-I is an antibacterial molecule targeting multi-drug resistant gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Simultaneously, the company expanded its operations in China to increase MicuRx' capacity in antibacterial drug discovery and development.
"Only 12 months after initial funding, we have discovered multiple drug leads and selected our first development candidate MRX-I, a promising antibacterial compound that we expect to be superior to many of the top- selling antibiotics available today," said Zhengyu Yuan, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of MicuRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. "This enhanced productivity is owed in part to our hybrid business model that leverages the drug discovery capacity readily available in China and the superior management expertise in the United States."
"MRX-I and additional MicuRx pipeline leads have been identified using our proprietary drug discovery platform," commented Mike F. Gordeev, Ph.D., executive vice president and chief scientific officer of MicuRx. "We will continue to leverage this novel platform to further enhance the pharmacological properties and safety profile of clinically validated antibiotic classes, creating best-in-class antibiotics capable of addressing the growing problem of the bacterial multi-drug resistance."
MicuRx raised $10 million in 2007 with Morningside Group as the sole investor. To facilitate the development of its lead compounds and expand the research capacity, MicuRx recently moved its research and development operations in China to a new 10,000 square-foot facility in ZhangJian HighTech Park in Shanghai, China. The company intends to use this integrated state-of- art chemistry and biology facility for drug discovery and development activities to advance its next-generation antimicrobial products.
About Multi-Drug Resistance and MRSA
Modern antimicrobials (antibiotics and related pharmaceuticals) have substantially reduced the threat posed by infectious diseases and contributed to a dramatic drop in mortality rates over the past 30 years. However, due to widespread use of existing drugs in the community and hospital environment, pathogenic bacteria resistant to current antimicrobial therapies have evolved and become ubiquitous, presenting a global health threat. The World Health Organization has set forth a mandate to combat this growing problem and encouraged an urgent action of the member countries. MicuRx is addressing this need directly by developing best-in-class antimicrobials targeting multi- drug resistant bacteria.
About MicuRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
MicuRx is discovering and developing next-generation antibacterial and antifungal products. By applying designer modifications to validated antibiotics, MicuRx intends to improve overall pharmacological properties of antimicrobial drugs in order to overcome antibiotic resistance, increase the antibacterial spectrum, improve the dosing regimen, or reduce adverse side effects. The company has research and development facilities in San Francisco Bay Area and ZhangJiang High-Tech Park in Shanghai, China.
CONTACT: Zhengyu Yuan, Ph.D., President and CEO of MicuRx Pharmaceuticals,Inc., +1-510-324-8662, ; or Angela Bitting,+1-925-202-6211, , for MicuRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. zyuan@micurx.com a.bitting@comcast.net
"Only 12 months after initial funding, we have discovered multiple drug leads and selected our first development candidate MRX-I, a promising antibacterial compound that we expect to be superior to many of the top- selling antibiotics available today," said Zhengyu Yuan, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of MicuRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. "This enhanced productivity is owed in part to our hybrid business model that leverages the drug discovery capacity readily available in China and the superior management expertise in the United States."
"MRX-I and additional MicuRx pipeline leads have been identified using our proprietary drug discovery platform," commented Mike F. Gordeev, Ph.D., executive vice president and chief scientific officer of MicuRx. "We will continue to leverage this novel platform to further enhance the pharmacological properties and safety profile of clinically validated antibiotic classes, creating best-in-class antibiotics capable of addressing the growing problem of the bacterial multi-drug resistance."
MicuRx raised $10 million in 2007 with Morningside Group as the sole investor. To facilitate the development of its lead compounds and expand the research capacity, MicuRx recently moved its research and development operations in China to a new 10,000 square-foot facility in ZhangJian HighTech Park in Shanghai, China. The company intends to use this integrated state-of- art chemistry and biology facility for drug discovery and development activities to advance its next-generation antimicrobial products.
About Multi-Drug Resistance and MRSA
Modern antimicrobials (antibiotics and related pharmaceuticals) have substantially reduced the threat posed by infectious diseases and contributed to a dramatic drop in mortality rates over the past 30 years. However, due to widespread use of existing drugs in the community and hospital environment, pathogenic bacteria resistant to current antimicrobial therapies have evolved and become ubiquitous, presenting a global health threat. The World Health Organization has set forth a mandate to combat this growing problem and encouraged an urgent action of the member countries. MicuRx is addressing this need directly by developing best-in-class antimicrobials targeting multi- drug resistant bacteria.
About MicuRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
MicuRx is discovering and developing next-generation antibacterial and antifungal products. By applying designer modifications to validated antibiotics, MicuRx intends to improve overall pharmacological properties of antimicrobial drugs in order to overcome antibiotic resistance, increase the antibacterial spectrum, improve the dosing regimen, or reduce adverse side effects. The company has research and development facilities in San Francisco Bay Area and ZhangJiang High-Tech Park in Shanghai, China.
CONTACT: Zhengyu Yuan, Ph.D., President and CEO of MicuRx Pharmaceuticals,Inc., +1-510-324-8662, ; or Angela Bitting,+1-925-202-6211, , for MicuRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. zyuan@micurx.com a.bitting@comcast.net
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Is Corporate Agribusiness Killing Us?
A new strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), once found only in pigs, now accounts for more than 20 percent of all human MRSA infections in the Netherlands.
The heavy use of antibiotics in industrialized livestock operations can account for resistant bacteria, such as MRSA. The new strain of MRSA, known as NT-MRSA, has so far primarily affected pig farmers and cattle farmers, and regions of the Netherlands with high densities of pig and cattle farms. The new strain has a high hospitalization rate, and can make people severely ill.
The Union of Concerned Scientists has estimated that 70 percent of all the antibiotics used in the United States are used as livestock feed additives. The United States does not systematically test pigs, cattle, and other food animals for MRSA. Almost 100,000 annual MRSA infections in the United States, of which almost a fifth are fatal.
Source:Organic Consumers Association December 6, 2007
The heavy use of antibiotics in industrialized livestock operations can account for resistant bacteria, such as MRSA. The new strain of MRSA, known as NT-MRSA, has so far primarily affected pig farmers and cattle farmers, and regions of the Netherlands with high densities of pig and cattle farms. The new strain has a high hospitalization rate, and can make people severely ill.
The Union of Concerned Scientists has estimated that 70 percent of all the antibiotics used in the United States are used as livestock feed additives. The United States does not systematically test pigs, cattle, and other food animals for MRSA. Almost 100,000 annual MRSA infections in the United States, of which almost a fifth are fatal.
Source:Organic Consumers Association December 6, 2007
Infection rates at hospitals continue to grow
John Colson
Aspen, CO Colorado|Aspen Times
December 30, 2007
ROARING FORK VALLEY — Colorado and local public health officials say they don’t know the extent of reportedly increasing infection rates inside rural hospitals around the state, other than to concede that the rates are generally, if slowly, rising.
Laws are being passed in other states to require public data collection about hospital-acquired infections, in particular new strains of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.
Critics of existing health care policies nationwide are demanding that the new rules and techniques be adopted throughout the country to combat what they say is a particularly virulent and dangerous disease, known as MRSA.
In Colorado, however, data collection regarding MRSA (formally named Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) is required only in Denver County. And Colorado is not one of the states that has adopted stringent new guidelines aimed at curbing the spread of MRSA in hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities.
“It is a persistent pathogen and it is out of control in most of the [U.S.] health care system,” declared Dr. Barry Farr, professor emeritus at the University of Virginia, and one of several nationally respected physicians tracking the MRSA phenomenon.
New infection control guidelines in several states in the U.S., as well as in European countries and other regions of the world, are requiring that hospitals screen all “at risk patients” and follow stringent measures to fight the spread of bacteria and disease.
The main enemy in this war is MRSA, although there are other bacteria and germs of concern. Together they amount to what some observers believe is a serious and worsening health care crisis in this country.
Dubbed a “superbug” by some, MRSA is the antibiotic resistant form of Staphylococcus Aureus, or S. Aureus, a type of staph infection that researchers believe has been around as long as humans have walked the earth.
It was not until the latter half of the 20th century that staph bacteria began developing resistance to treatment by antibiotics, particularly methicillin, which was commonly used to treat staph infections in hospitals.
The bacteria lives harmlessly on a person’s skin, and in nasal passages. Most infections result in skin problems ranging from pimples to boils. But the more serious complications from MRSA infections — most commonly in hospitals — are happening much more often, experts say.
And it is in hospitals around the country that the MRSA incidence is reaching what some experts say alarming, if not crisis proportions, causing serious diseases that can result in lengthy hospital stays, the amputation of limbs and even death.
An Illinois woman, Jeanine Thomas, founder of the MRSA Survivors Network and advocate for state and national legislation to combat the disease, writes on her Web site that she contracted an MRSA infection during ankle surgery in 2000. The infection went into her bone marrow, leading to seven surgeries to save her leg from amputation. She said she has spent 17 months out of the past five years in a sick-bed dealing with secondary infections, and still has health concerns.
Thomas, working with others, convinced the Illinois state legislature to pass laws requiring mandatory screening of “at-risk” patients for MRSA before they enter a hospital. “At-risk” means patients coming from nursing homes, or those headed to the intensive care unit, among other definitions.
Highly critical of health care officials who downplay the dangers of MRSA and similar pathogens, she said, “They always like to look like they’re doing something, but they’re doing nothing [in many areas]. We are where we are because of their inaction.”
In 1980, MRSA reportedly accounted for only 2 percent of all S. Aureus hospital-acquired infections reported in 300 hospitals that were part of a CDC study. More recently, MRSA is estimated to account for more than 60 percent of S. Aureus infections, according to an article in the February, 2006 edition of the magazine, “Infection Control Today.”
Across the U.S., advocates are calling for tighter monitoring of the resistant strains and much closer observance of what are known as “active detection and isolation” techniques aimed at cutting the incidence of MRSA-type infections.
Farr was a medical internist at UVA in the early 1980s, he said, when the university hospital detected rising MRSA rates and instituted “active detection and isolation” methods to keep the disease in check.
The measures include rigorous enforcement of rules on hand washing, the meticulous cleaning of equipment and hospital rooms, the use of gowns and disposable aprons to prevent doctors and nurses from spreading germs on clothing, and the testing of incoming patients to identify and isolate those carrying the bacterium.
Farr told an interviewer in 2004 that studies show that health care workers only wash their hands between patients about 40 percent of the time.
The measures have been formalized into guidelines published in 2003 by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), authored largely by William R. Jarvis, MD, of Emory University School of Medicine, president of Jason and Jarvis Associates, and a former official of the Center for Disease Prevention and Control [CDC].
The measures worked, Farr said, and have been adopted in other selected parts of the country, including the states of Illinois, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. But unless all states, meaning all hospitals, nursing homes, VA facilities, and other health care centers begin following the same methods, MRSA infection rates will continue to grow, he believes.
As an example, Farr said, medical officials in Western Australia recently adopted the “active detection and isolation” methodology in response to rising MRSA infection rates, and the rates declined. But other parts of Australia did not follow suit, “so they spectacularly failed” to curb the disease, he said, and MRSA spread back into Western Australia.
He said some European nations, including the Netherlands and Denmark, have made it a national priority to follow the “active detection and isolation” guidelines.
Locally, hospital and community health officials say there is no requirement by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to enumerate or report MRSA infections. The result, these officials say, is that there is no data on how many patients who are carriers of the bacteria, or “colonized,” as medical professional term it, are admitted to hospitals.
Hospital officials in Aspen and Glenwood Springs recently have said their best option for controlling what they admit is a growing problem is to educate the public on different personal hygiene techniques, such as washing hands frequently and avoiding the use of towels, washcloths or sports equipment that has been used by someone else.
Within the halls of local hospitals, where patients are known to contract “hospital-acquired MRSA,” the standard procedures involve isolating the patient from others, and instituting sterile-room rules requiring that everyone, both hospital staff and visitors, don gowns and gloves before entering the patient’s room to avoid picking up and carrying the bacteria into other parts of the facility.
But according to Farr and others, such measures are typically viewed as a last resort and only come into play when hospital staff learns through general testing that a patient suffers from a MRSA infection. And that, he maintains, may well be too late both for that patient and to stop the possible spread of infection.
Roughly 94,000 Americans contracted life-threatening MRSA infections, and more than 18,600 of those died in the U.S. in 2005, roughly 2,600 more than died of AIDS or HIV that year, according to the CDC. The CDC estimates that perhaps 1 percent of the U.S. population is “colonized” by MRSA bacteria and capable of spreading it to others.
At least 1 percent of Americans are carrying the bacteria on their skin, but few of them get sick, Gershman said.
Aspen, CO Colorado|Aspen Times
December 30, 2007
ROARING FORK VALLEY — Colorado and local public health officials say they don’t know the extent of reportedly increasing infection rates inside rural hospitals around the state, other than to concede that the rates are generally, if slowly, rising.
Laws are being passed in other states to require public data collection about hospital-acquired infections, in particular new strains of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.
Critics of existing health care policies nationwide are demanding that the new rules and techniques be adopted throughout the country to combat what they say is a particularly virulent and dangerous disease, known as MRSA.
In Colorado, however, data collection regarding MRSA (formally named Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) is required only in Denver County. And Colorado is not one of the states that has adopted stringent new guidelines aimed at curbing the spread of MRSA in hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities.
“It is a persistent pathogen and it is out of control in most of the [U.S.] health care system,” declared Dr. Barry Farr, professor emeritus at the University of Virginia, and one of several nationally respected physicians tracking the MRSA phenomenon.
New infection control guidelines in several states in the U.S., as well as in European countries and other regions of the world, are requiring that hospitals screen all “at risk patients” and follow stringent measures to fight the spread of bacteria and disease.
The main enemy in this war is MRSA, although there are other bacteria and germs of concern. Together they amount to what some observers believe is a serious and worsening health care crisis in this country.
Dubbed a “superbug” by some, MRSA is the antibiotic resistant form of Staphylococcus Aureus, or S. Aureus, a type of staph infection that researchers believe has been around as long as humans have walked the earth.
It was not until the latter half of the 20th century that staph bacteria began developing resistance to treatment by antibiotics, particularly methicillin, which was commonly used to treat staph infections in hospitals.
The bacteria lives harmlessly on a person’s skin, and in nasal passages. Most infections result in skin problems ranging from pimples to boils. But the more serious complications from MRSA infections — most commonly in hospitals — are happening much more often, experts say.
And it is in hospitals around the country that the MRSA incidence is reaching what some experts say alarming, if not crisis proportions, causing serious diseases that can result in lengthy hospital stays, the amputation of limbs and even death.
An Illinois woman, Jeanine Thomas, founder of the MRSA Survivors Network and advocate for state and national legislation to combat the disease, writes on her Web site that she contracted an MRSA infection during ankle surgery in 2000. The infection went into her bone marrow, leading to seven surgeries to save her leg from amputation. She said she has spent 17 months out of the past five years in a sick-bed dealing with secondary infections, and still has health concerns.
Thomas, working with others, convinced the Illinois state legislature to pass laws requiring mandatory screening of “at-risk” patients for MRSA before they enter a hospital. “At-risk” means patients coming from nursing homes, or those headed to the intensive care unit, among other definitions.
Highly critical of health care officials who downplay the dangers of MRSA and similar pathogens, she said, “They always like to look like they’re doing something, but they’re doing nothing [in many areas]. We are where we are because of their inaction.”
In 1980, MRSA reportedly accounted for only 2 percent of all S. Aureus hospital-acquired infections reported in 300 hospitals that were part of a CDC study. More recently, MRSA is estimated to account for more than 60 percent of S. Aureus infections, according to an article in the February, 2006 edition of the magazine, “Infection Control Today.”
Across the U.S., advocates are calling for tighter monitoring of the resistant strains and much closer observance of what are known as “active detection and isolation” techniques aimed at cutting the incidence of MRSA-type infections.
Farr was a medical internist at UVA in the early 1980s, he said, when the university hospital detected rising MRSA rates and instituted “active detection and isolation” methods to keep the disease in check.
The measures include rigorous enforcement of rules on hand washing, the meticulous cleaning of equipment and hospital rooms, the use of gowns and disposable aprons to prevent doctors and nurses from spreading germs on clothing, and the testing of incoming patients to identify and isolate those carrying the bacterium.
Farr told an interviewer in 2004 that studies show that health care workers only wash their hands between patients about 40 percent of the time.
The measures have been formalized into guidelines published in 2003 by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), authored largely by William R. Jarvis, MD, of Emory University School of Medicine, president of Jason and Jarvis Associates, and a former official of the Center for Disease Prevention and Control [CDC].
The measures worked, Farr said, and have been adopted in other selected parts of the country, including the states of Illinois, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. But unless all states, meaning all hospitals, nursing homes, VA facilities, and other health care centers begin following the same methods, MRSA infection rates will continue to grow, he believes.
As an example, Farr said, medical officials in Western Australia recently adopted the “active detection and isolation” methodology in response to rising MRSA infection rates, and the rates declined. But other parts of Australia did not follow suit, “so they spectacularly failed” to curb the disease, he said, and MRSA spread back into Western Australia.
He said some European nations, including the Netherlands and Denmark, have made it a national priority to follow the “active detection and isolation” guidelines.
Locally, hospital and community health officials say there is no requirement by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to enumerate or report MRSA infections. The result, these officials say, is that there is no data on how many patients who are carriers of the bacteria, or “colonized,” as medical professional term it, are admitted to hospitals.
Hospital officials in Aspen and Glenwood Springs recently have said their best option for controlling what they admit is a growing problem is to educate the public on different personal hygiene techniques, such as washing hands frequently and avoiding the use of towels, washcloths or sports equipment that has been used by someone else.
Within the halls of local hospitals, where patients are known to contract “hospital-acquired MRSA,” the standard procedures involve isolating the patient from others, and instituting sterile-room rules requiring that everyone, both hospital staff and visitors, don gowns and gloves before entering the patient’s room to avoid picking up and carrying the bacteria into other parts of the facility.
But according to Farr and others, such measures are typically viewed as a last resort and only come into play when hospital staff learns through general testing that a patient suffers from a MRSA infection. And that, he maintains, may well be too late both for that patient and to stop the possible spread of infection.
Roughly 94,000 Americans contracted life-threatening MRSA infections, and more than 18,600 of those died in the U.S. in 2005, roughly 2,600 more than died of AIDS or HIV that year, according to the CDC. The CDC estimates that perhaps 1 percent of the U.S. population is “colonized” by MRSA bacteria and capable of spreading it to others.
At least 1 percent of Americans are carrying the bacteria on their skin, but few of them get sick, Gershman said.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
SV hospital seeing rise in community acquired MRSA cases
By Dana Cole
Herald/Review
Published on Friday, December 28, 2007
Hand washing is extremely important now more than ever. SIERRA VISTA — Know as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, this staph infection is extremely resistant to most antibiotics.
It has become one of the country’s most common causes of skin infection and is considered a rapidly emerging public health problem.
At one time MRSA was known as the “Hospital Superbug.”
“That’s because it was found in hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities,” said Ann Kuhl, infection control coordinator for Sierra Vista Regional Health Center. “But in recent years, we have seen a community acquired form of MRSA. In fact, the number of community acquired cases has jumped exponentially in the past five years.”
More than half of all MRSA cases seen at the Sierra Vista hospital are the community acquired form and have nothing to do with the hospital, Kuhl said.
“The two types look and act differently, so it’s easy for us to track,” she added. “The community acquired MRSA manifests as a skin infection and often starts out as a small red lesion that grows quickly and is generally localized.”
While hospital-associated MRSA was first identified in 1968, the community acquired form is fairly new, Kuhl said.
There are steps that can be taken to reduce the incidence of community acquired MRSA infections.
“Good hygiene is key,” Kuhl stated. “Wash your hands regularly, with soap. All open cuts or sores need to be kept clean.”
The smallest scrapes, paper cuts, animal scratches, as well as open skin lesions, are an invitation for MRSA infections. “Staph, in general, if you give it a way to enter into the body, can become a big problem,” Kuhl warns. “We just can’t emphasize thorough and frequent hand washing enough. Hand sanitizers are very effective.”
Taking basic contact precautions and keeping home environments clean also are imperative for good infection control. Clusters of community acquired MRSA skin infections have been documented in athletes participating in contact sports, military recruits, IV drug users and prisoners. Other risk factors include close skin-to-skin contact, exposure to contaminated items and surfaces and crowded living conditions.
The bacteria Staphylococcus aureus is present in many people and typically causes no problems. It’s estimated that about a third of the population carry it in the nose, throat and on the skin. But if it gets inside the body, such as under the skin, it can cause serious, potentially fatal infections. If staph infects the lungs, it can cause pneumonia.
“Staphylococcus aureus becomes a health problem when it’s resistant to commonly used antibiotics,” Kuhl said. “Staphylococcus aureus that is resistant to Methicillin is MRSA.”
More than 50 percent of the staph isolates seen by SVRHC are resistant to the usual antibiotics that are used to treat them, Kuhl said.
While most healthy people will never become seriously ill from this bacteria, it can be a health threat for young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. Despite documented risk factors, Kuhl warns there are no patterns when it comes to community acquired MRSA, which further emphasizes the need for everyone to take extra precautions.
The hospital is planning a three-month-long MRSA prevention campaign, an educational program that all 800 hospital employees will be required to attend.
“We’re using this program as a reminder for our staff, emphasizing the importance of good hand hygiene and why we need to take extra precautions,” Kuhl said. “When a patient comes in with MRSA, it’s our policy to take special precautions when working with that person.”
Herald/Review
Published on Friday, December 28, 2007
Hand washing is extremely important now more than ever. SIERRA VISTA — Know as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, this staph infection is extremely resistant to most antibiotics.
It has become one of the country’s most common causes of skin infection and is considered a rapidly emerging public health problem.
At one time MRSA was known as the “Hospital Superbug.”
“That’s because it was found in hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities,” said Ann Kuhl, infection control coordinator for Sierra Vista Regional Health Center. “But in recent years, we have seen a community acquired form of MRSA. In fact, the number of community acquired cases has jumped exponentially in the past five years.”
More than half of all MRSA cases seen at the Sierra Vista hospital are the community acquired form and have nothing to do with the hospital, Kuhl said.
“The two types look and act differently, so it’s easy for us to track,” she added. “The community acquired MRSA manifests as a skin infection and often starts out as a small red lesion that grows quickly and is generally localized.”
While hospital-associated MRSA was first identified in 1968, the community acquired form is fairly new, Kuhl said.
There are steps that can be taken to reduce the incidence of community acquired MRSA infections.
“Good hygiene is key,” Kuhl stated. “Wash your hands regularly, with soap. All open cuts or sores need to be kept clean.”
The smallest scrapes, paper cuts, animal scratches, as well as open skin lesions, are an invitation for MRSA infections. “Staph, in general, if you give it a way to enter into the body, can become a big problem,” Kuhl warns. “We just can’t emphasize thorough and frequent hand washing enough. Hand sanitizers are very effective.”
Taking basic contact precautions and keeping home environments clean also are imperative for good infection control. Clusters of community acquired MRSA skin infections have been documented in athletes participating in contact sports, military recruits, IV drug users and prisoners. Other risk factors include close skin-to-skin contact, exposure to contaminated items and surfaces and crowded living conditions.
The bacteria Staphylococcus aureus is present in many people and typically causes no problems. It’s estimated that about a third of the population carry it in the nose, throat and on the skin. But if it gets inside the body, such as under the skin, it can cause serious, potentially fatal infections. If staph infects the lungs, it can cause pneumonia.
“Staphylococcus aureus becomes a health problem when it’s resistant to commonly used antibiotics,” Kuhl said. “Staphylococcus aureus that is resistant to Methicillin is MRSA.”
More than 50 percent of the staph isolates seen by SVRHC are resistant to the usual antibiotics that are used to treat them, Kuhl said.
While most healthy people will never become seriously ill from this bacteria, it can be a health threat for young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. Despite documented risk factors, Kuhl warns there are no patterns when it comes to community acquired MRSA, which further emphasizes the need for everyone to take extra precautions.
The hospital is planning a three-month-long MRSA prevention campaign, an educational program that all 800 hospital employees will be required to attend.
“We’re using this program as a reminder for our staff, emphasizing the importance of good hand hygiene and why we need to take extra precautions,” Kuhl said. “When a patient comes in with MRSA, it’s our policy to take special precautions when working with that person.”
Friday, December 14, 2007
Teacher Dies from Staph Infection
ROCKVILLE, Md. -- A Rockville teacher died Sunday evening due to complications from a virulent form of staph infection.
Merry King, 48, was a special education teacher at Herbert Hoover Middle School.
School officials said the 48-year-old had been absent from Hoover since Nov. 30 and hospitalized since early last week.
King's daughter, Charlotte Oliver, told school officials her mother had been in a coma and died five days later of complications from a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, infection.
"We're not really certain when or how she picked it up," Oliver said. "She may have had it for a while. By the time she checked into the hospital it was so acute that there wasn't a lot they could do."
"Ms. King was a beloved staff member and students in her class will be deeply affected by her death," said Hoover Middle School Principal Billie-Jean Bensen, in a letter sent home with students.
Bensen said there is no indication King's illness was related to her work at the school and there is no reason to believe anyone there has an increased risk of contracting MRSA.
The classroom in which King worked was sanitized with bleach, News4's Megan McGrath reported. Common areas at the school are scheduled to be sanitized Tuesday night. Officials said they do not believe there is a threat to students, staff or faculty at the school.
As King's family copes with the loss, they are also disinfecting the teacher's home.
Students learned of her death on Monday and said they were very upset by it.
Officials said there were grief counselors on hand at the school.
In a letter sent home to parents, the school's principal expressed condolences and at the same time moved to reassure parents that their children are safe.
As parents dropped their children off at school Tuesday, many said they were not worried about their children contracting the disease.
The Montgomery school system has had 43 cases in 31 schools this school year, primarily among student athletes, said Kate Harrison, a spokeswoman for the Montgomery County school system. There are currently only four active cases among county students. Harrison said King's case was believed to be the first since August involving a teacher.
Dozens of cases of the infection have been reported in the Washington region, but exact figures are not available because doctors are not required to report MRSA to state health authorities.
An estimated 90,000 people in the United States fall ill each year from MRSA. It is not clear how many die from the infection; one estimate put it at more than 18,000, which would be slightly higher than U.S. deaths from AIDS.
Merry King, 48, was a special education teacher at Herbert Hoover Middle School.
School officials said the 48-year-old had been absent from Hoover since Nov. 30 and hospitalized since early last week.
King's daughter, Charlotte Oliver, told school officials her mother had been in a coma and died five days later of complications from a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, infection.
"We're not really certain when or how she picked it up," Oliver said. "She may have had it for a while. By the time she checked into the hospital it was so acute that there wasn't a lot they could do."
"Ms. King was a beloved staff member and students in her class will be deeply affected by her death," said Hoover Middle School Principal Billie-Jean Bensen, in a letter sent home with students.
Bensen said there is no indication King's illness was related to her work at the school and there is no reason to believe anyone there has an increased risk of contracting MRSA.
The classroom in which King worked was sanitized with bleach, News4's Megan McGrath reported. Common areas at the school are scheduled to be sanitized Tuesday night. Officials said they do not believe there is a threat to students, staff or faculty at the school.
As King's family copes with the loss, they are also disinfecting the teacher's home.
Students learned of her death on Monday and said they were very upset by it.
Officials said there were grief counselors on hand at the school.
In a letter sent home to parents, the school's principal expressed condolences and at the same time moved to reassure parents that their children are safe.
As parents dropped their children off at school Tuesday, many said they were not worried about their children contracting the disease.
The Montgomery school system has had 43 cases in 31 schools this school year, primarily among student athletes, said Kate Harrison, a spokeswoman for the Montgomery County school system. There are currently only four active cases among county students. Harrison said King's case was believed to be the first since August involving a teacher.
Dozens of cases of the infection have been reported in the Washington region, but exact figures are not available because doctors are not required to report MRSA to state health authorities.
An estimated 90,000 people in the United States fall ill each year from MRSA. It is not clear how many die from the infection; one estimate put it at more than 18,000, which would be slightly higher than U.S. deaths from AIDS.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Be vigilant against staph
WITH ABOUT 19,000 people dying nationwide each year from antibiotic-resistant staph infections, it's important to be vigilant in personal hygiene, public health surveillance and aggressive countermeasures at a level consistent with the fight against AIDS infections.
Indeed, more people die in the United States each year from staph infections than from AIDS.
Local officials confronted the deadly bacteria recently in Spanish Fort, when a high school football player developed an infection. To their credit, school officials called in a professional cleaning crew to disinfect school buildings.
Fortunately, the Spanish Fort student recovered, but others who have contracted staph weren't so lucky. A Valley, Ala., woman died in October of complications from MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) infection, becoming the first MRSA victim in Alabama.
It's estimated that 90,000 people have MRSA in the United States at any one time, though most of the cases occur in hospitals where health care professionals take aggressive measures against any infection.
Staph bacteria, though, are often present on the skin and in nasal passages. The "super bug" drug-resistant bacteria live among easily treatable bacteria and can enter a person's bloodstream through a minor scrape or cut, or through the skin pores.
Moreover, the dangerous bacteria can live on towels and other items that have come in contact with skin, jumping onto new hosts who come in contact with them, spreading and leading to an outbreak (defined as three or more cases).
Ironically, these super bugs occur because of the medical community's aggressive use of antibiotics against normal bacteria. Because of this widespread use, some bacteria become resistant to drugs.
But staph infections can be prevented, which is where personal hygiene comes in. Health officials suggest frequent washing of hands, showering after exercise, avoiding using someone else's towel, razor or other personal items that come in contact with skin, and cleansing of exercise equipment in public gyms.
Public health officials, too, can do more by requiring more aggressive reporting of individual cases, especially those that develop outside hospitals. With public awareness, personal hygiene and public health watchfulness, outbreaks of MRSA from community sources can become a health problem of the past.
© 2007 Press-Register. All rights reserved.
Indeed, more people die in the United States each year from staph infections than from AIDS.
Local officials confronted the deadly bacteria recently in Spanish Fort, when a high school football player developed an infection. To their credit, school officials called in a professional cleaning crew to disinfect school buildings.
Fortunately, the Spanish Fort student recovered, but others who have contracted staph weren't so lucky. A Valley, Ala., woman died in October of complications from MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) infection, becoming the first MRSA victim in Alabama.
It's estimated that 90,000 people have MRSA in the United States at any one time, though most of the cases occur in hospitals where health care professionals take aggressive measures against any infection.
Staph bacteria, though, are often present on the skin and in nasal passages. The "super bug" drug-resistant bacteria live among easily treatable bacteria and can enter a person's bloodstream through a minor scrape or cut, or through the skin pores.
Moreover, the dangerous bacteria can live on towels and other items that have come in contact with skin, jumping onto new hosts who come in contact with them, spreading and leading to an outbreak (defined as three or more cases).
Ironically, these super bugs occur because of the medical community's aggressive use of antibiotics against normal bacteria. Because of this widespread use, some bacteria become resistant to drugs.
But staph infections can be prevented, which is where personal hygiene comes in. Health officials suggest frequent washing of hands, showering after exercise, avoiding using someone else's towel, razor or other personal items that come in contact with skin, and cleansing of exercise equipment in public gyms.
Public health officials, too, can do more by requiring more aggressive reporting of individual cases, especially those that develop outside hospitals. With public awareness, personal hygiene and public health watchfulness, outbreaks of MRSA from community sources can become a health problem of the past.
© 2007 Press-Register. All rights reserved.
MRSA case in Mattawan HS
MATTAWAN (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A student at Mattawan High School has been diagnosed with MRSA.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA is one of the "superbugs" that have evolved resistance to some commonly used antibiotics.
The Superintendent has told Newschannel 3 that the school has not been closed and the Health Department does not consider it a serious case.
The Superintendent also says that the school district is following cleaning and disinfecting procedures outlined by the Health Department.
The condition of the student with the infection is not known.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA is one of the "superbugs" that have evolved resistance to some commonly used antibiotics.
The Superintendent has told Newschannel 3 that the school has not been closed and the Health Department does not consider it a serious case.
The Superintendent also says that the school district is following cleaning and disinfecting procedures outlined by the Health Department.
The condition of the student with the infection is not known.
Deodoriser may help beat superbugs in hospitals
By Simon Bristow
A MACHINE used to rid hospitals of bad smells could help beat so-called superbugs.
Wigan-based firm Scent Technologies has discovered that its ST-PRO deodorising machine not only issues a pleasant aroma, but proves highly effective in killing airborne bacteria associated with MRSA and Clostridium difficile.
The discovery was made almost by chance at a hospital in Whiston, St Helens, three years ago. And following seven months of clinical trials in the burns unit at Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester, the product is to be developed and produced by Hull company Bonus Electrical.
Prof Valerie Edwards-Jones, a microbiologist at Manchester Metropolitan University, said: "We found in the burns unit that it reduced airborne counts by 90 per cent. What surprised us was in the control room, where we didn't have any vapours, the counts were down there."
He said the results were "very encouraging."
The machine, which has also been trialled at Airedale Hospital, works by releasing an invisible vapour containing essential oils into the air.
Scent Technologies director Roy Jackson said the machine could also be used in offices and adapted for use in aircraft.
A MACHINE used to rid hospitals of bad smells could help beat so-called superbugs.
Wigan-based firm Scent Technologies has discovered that its ST-PRO deodorising machine not only issues a pleasant aroma, but proves highly effective in killing airborne bacteria associated with MRSA and Clostridium difficile.
The discovery was made almost by chance at a hospital in Whiston, St Helens, three years ago. And following seven months of clinical trials in the burns unit at Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester, the product is to be developed and produced by Hull company Bonus Electrical.
Prof Valerie Edwards-Jones, a microbiologist at Manchester Metropolitan University, said: "We found in the burns unit that it reduced airborne counts by 90 per cent. What surprised us was in the control room, where we didn't have any vapours, the counts were down there."
He said the results were "very encouraging."
The machine, which has also been trialled at Airedale Hospital, works by releasing an invisible vapour containing essential oils into the air.
Scent Technologies director Roy Jackson said the machine could also be used in offices and adapted for use in aircraft.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
"Superbug" — what you need to know about MRSA
By Carol M. Ostrom
Seattle Times health reporter
The head of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls MRSA the "cockroach of bacteria." It's omnipresent, tough and adaptable.
This fall, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus suddenly went from a festering public-health issue to the top of the national news on word that it's worse than previously thought.
Many people — and many media outlets — started seeing it as a much bigger menace than a simple roach.
It became "the superbug," and the tales of its incredible power have featured people fighting for their lives after getting what they thought was a simple little "spider bite."
But what is MRSA, anyway? How afraid should you really be?
Last month, a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association estimated that in 2005, some 94,000 people were infected by the most serious form of MRSA infections, and one in five died.
Since then, public-health officials have been singing out of both sides of their mouths.
On one hand, they want to reassure people: Like many germs, MRSA is common. Many of us carry it around on our skin and in our noses, and it lives on surfaces from athletic gear to fabric. Outside the hospital, it's not hard to avoid, but if you get it, you'll likely just get a treatable skin infection.
On the other hand, the public-health gurus want to sound an alarm. They warn that MRSA is a symptom of a larger danger: the great number of germs worldwide becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics.
"The prospect that effective antibiotics may not be available to treat seriously ill patients in the near future is real," says Dr. Jeff Duchin, communicable-diseases chief for Public Health — Seattle & King County.
So what do you really need to know and do?
Q: What is MRSA?
A: Germs, also known as bacteria, have been around forever. Staphylococcus aureus, also called "staph," was first identified in 1880 by a Scottish surgeon poking around in pus oozing from hospital patients. After antibiotics were discovered in 1928, staph was largely beaten back. But S. aureus evolved to survive the oldest type of antibiotics, called the penicillin-methicillin class. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was first identified in 1968.
Q: Why is it such a big deal all of a sudden?
A: Actually, the problem isn't new. Although most people don't get serious infections, staph has always been a "bad bug," says Duchin.
MRSA is even badder. Researchers are discovering that MRSA is surprisingly widespread and becoming tougher. It's a classic lesson in Darwinian evolution: As the weaker germs are killed by antibiotics, the strongest, most resistant ones survive and multiply, particularly when antibiotics are used improperly.
In 2000, a new strain of MRSA "took off like wildfire," according to Dr. Yuan-Po Tu, a MRSA tracker at the Everett Clinic. Before, most MRSA infections were caused by a strain mostly contracted in hospitals. This new, "community acquired" strain can be even more virulent, potentially causing severe illnesses even in healthy people.
Q: What does MRSA do?
A: Most of the time, community-acquired MRSA (sometimes shortened to CA-MRSA) causes skin and soft-tissue infections that can be treated with other readily available antibiotics. But if not properly treated, the bug can work its way into the body and is tough to get out.
The vast majority of serious, "invasive" MRSA infections and deaths occur in hospitalized patients who are suffering from other serious diseases, have lowered immunity or have recently undergone surgery.
Q: How is it spread?
A: MRSA likes to travel. Not by air, but by hand, towel, clothes, bedding and gym equipment.
Unlike the flu virus, MRSA isn't caught by breathing it in — there has to be actual skin-to-germ contact. The CDC says high-risk groups include children, athletes, military recruits, prisoners and other population groups who live in crowded or impoverished living conditions.
Q: So MRSA is inevitable?
A: No, because there are easy ways of avoiding it. Alcohol-based hand cleaner works. So does good, old-fashioned hand-washing.
And so does a bit of courage.
According to Duchin, not all health-care providers are religious about washing their hands according to guidelines. In the hospital, that means before and after seeing you. So you need to ask them: "Did you wash your hands?"
Don't be afraid of insulting them. "There are only two acceptable answers: 'Thank you for reminding me,' and 'I just did it, but thank you for asking,' " says Marcia Patrick, infection-control director for MultiCare Health System in King and Pierce counties.
Q: What else can I do?
A: Besides frequent hand-cleaning, the best defenses are avoiding skin-to-skin contact with other people's skin infections and learning how to care for wounds, Duchin says. And get a flu shot, he says, because MRSA-caused pneumonia can follow the flu.
The CDC also recommends:
• Showering immediately after exercise.
• Avoiding sharing items such as towels and razors.
• Using a barrier such as a towel or clothing between your skin and shared exercise equipment.
• Ensuring that surfaces are cleaned regularly at the public places you often go.
Any surfaces known to be contaminated by any type of staph, including MRSA, should be disinfected, but generally "extraordinary disinfection measures" or closures of schools or workplaces aren't necessary, Duchin says.
Q: Should I worry about cuts and scrapes?
A: Not any more than you already should: Keep them clean and covered. Watch for what Duchin calls the cardinal signs of infection: redness, warmth, swelling and pain, or a fever. If you have a bump or boil, surrounded by a lot of redness, don't assume it's a "spider bite." It probably isn't. Think MRSA, and make sure your doctor does, too.
Q: What about my kids?
A: "All kids are getting scratches and scrapes all the time, and the vast majority aren't getting infected" when kept clean and covered, Duchin says. "The world is full of bugs; that's why we have immune systems and vaccines."
But consider asking your day-care center, school or gym to install alcohol-gel dispensers and posters on what they are for, suggests medical writer Naida Grunden, who has written about a Pennsylvania hospital's successful efforts to reduce MRSA.
Q: If I'm going into the hospital, should I get a MRSA test?
A: There are different views on whether this simple test — a nose swab, basically — is worthwhile. Grunden says yes. "Could save your life," she says. But neither Duchin nor the CDC recommends that step because the germs are so common and it's not clear why some people get sick and others don't.
Q: OK, I'm careful. Can I quit worrying?
A: "It's important to understand the real threat posed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but it's not necessary to panic," says Duchin.
Even so, don't be lulled into a false sense of security, he warns, or MRSA and other germs could soon outstrip our ability to kill them.
Seattle Times health reporter
The head of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls MRSA the "cockroach of bacteria." It's omnipresent, tough and adaptable.
This fall, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus suddenly went from a festering public-health issue to the top of the national news on word that it's worse than previously thought.
Many people — and many media outlets — started seeing it as a much bigger menace than a simple roach.
It became "the superbug," and the tales of its incredible power have featured people fighting for their lives after getting what they thought was a simple little "spider bite."
But what is MRSA, anyway? How afraid should you really be?
Last month, a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association estimated that in 2005, some 94,000 people were infected by the most serious form of MRSA infections, and one in five died.
Since then, public-health officials have been singing out of both sides of their mouths.
On one hand, they want to reassure people: Like many germs, MRSA is common. Many of us carry it around on our skin and in our noses, and it lives on surfaces from athletic gear to fabric. Outside the hospital, it's not hard to avoid, but if you get it, you'll likely just get a treatable skin infection.
On the other hand, the public-health gurus want to sound an alarm. They warn that MRSA is a symptom of a larger danger: the great number of germs worldwide becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics.
"The prospect that effective antibiotics may not be available to treat seriously ill patients in the near future is real," says Dr. Jeff Duchin, communicable-diseases chief for Public Health — Seattle & King County.
So what do you really need to know and do?
Q: What is MRSA?
A: Germs, also known as bacteria, have been around forever. Staphylococcus aureus, also called "staph," was first identified in 1880 by a Scottish surgeon poking around in pus oozing from hospital patients. After antibiotics were discovered in 1928, staph was largely beaten back. But S. aureus evolved to survive the oldest type of antibiotics, called the penicillin-methicillin class. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was first identified in 1968.
Q: Why is it such a big deal all of a sudden?
A: Actually, the problem isn't new. Although most people don't get serious infections, staph has always been a "bad bug," says Duchin.
MRSA is even badder. Researchers are discovering that MRSA is surprisingly widespread and becoming tougher. It's a classic lesson in Darwinian evolution: As the weaker germs are killed by antibiotics, the strongest, most resistant ones survive and multiply, particularly when antibiotics are used improperly.
In 2000, a new strain of MRSA "took off like wildfire," according to Dr. Yuan-Po Tu, a MRSA tracker at the Everett Clinic. Before, most MRSA infections were caused by a strain mostly contracted in hospitals. This new, "community acquired" strain can be even more virulent, potentially causing severe illnesses even in healthy people.
Q: What does MRSA do?
A: Most of the time, community-acquired MRSA (sometimes shortened to CA-MRSA) causes skin and soft-tissue infections that can be treated with other readily available antibiotics. But if not properly treated, the bug can work its way into the body and is tough to get out.
The vast majority of serious, "invasive" MRSA infections and deaths occur in hospitalized patients who are suffering from other serious diseases, have lowered immunity or have recently undergone surgery.
Q: How is it spread?
A: MRSA likes to travel. Not by air, but by hand, towel, clothes, bedding and gym equipment.
Unlike the flu virus, MRSA isn't caught by breathing it in — there has to be actual skin-to-germ contact. The CDC says high-risk groups include children, athletes, military recruits, prisoners and other population groups who live in crowded or impoverished living conditions.
Q: So MRSA is inevitable?
A: No, because there are easy ways of avoiding it. Alcohol-based hand cleaner works. So does good, old-fashioned hand-washing.
And so does a bit of courage.
According to Duchin, not all health-care providers are religious about washing their hands according to guidelines. In the hospital, that means before and after seeing you. So you need to ask them: "Did you wash your hands?"
Don't be afraid of insulting them. "There are only two acceptable answers: 'Thank you for reminding me,' and 'I just did it, but thank you for asking,' " says Marcia Patrick, infection-control director for MultiCare Health System in King and Pierce counties.
Q: What else can I do?
A: Besides frequent hand-cleaning, the best defenses are avoiding skin-to-skin contact with other people's skin infections and learning how to care for wounds, Duchin says. And get a flu shot, he says, because MRSA-caused pneumonia can follow the flu.
The CDC also recommends:
• Showering immediately after exercise.
• Avoiding sharing items such as towels and razors.
• Using a barrier such as a towel or clothing between your skin and shared exercise equipment.
• Ensuring that surfaces are cleaned regularly at the public places you often go.
Any surfaces known to be contaminated by any type of staph, including MRSA, should be disinfected, but generally "extraordinary disinfection measures" or closures of schools or workplaces aren't necessary, Duchin says.
Q: Should I worry about cuts and scrapes?
A: Not any more than you already should: Keep them clean and covered. Watch for what Duchin calls the cardinal signs of infection: redness, warmth, swelling and pain, or a fever. If you have a bump or boil, surrounded by a lot of redness, don't assume it's a "spider bite." It probably isn't. Think MRSA, and make sure your doctor does, too.
Q: What about my kids?
A: "All kids are getting scratches and scrapes all the time, and the vast majority aren't getting infected" when kept clean and covered, Duchin says. "The world is full of bugs; that's why we have immune systems and vaccines."
But consider asking your day-care center, school or gym to install alcohol-gel dispensers and posters on what they are for, suggests medical writer Naida Grunden, who has written about a Pennsylvania hospital's successful efforts to reduce MRSA.
Q: If I'm going into the hospital, should I get a MRSA test?
A: There are different views on whether this simple test — a nose swab, basically — is worthwhile. Grunden says yes. "Could save your life," she says. But neither Duchin nor the CDC recommends that step because the germs are so common and it's not clear why some people get sick and others don't.
Q: OK, I'm careful. Can I quit worrying?
A: "It's important to understand the real threat posed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but it's not necessary to panic," says Duchin.
Even so, don't be lulled into a false sense of security, he warns, or MRSA and other germs could soon outstrip our ability to kill them.
MRSA in the NEWS
Estimates based on a US-wide extrapolation of data collected from a number of hospital sites and recently published by the Center of Disease Control (CDC) in JAMA (Klevens, R.M., et al., Invasive Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infections in the United States. JAMA, 2007. 298(15): p. 1763-1771) put the number of annual MRSA associated fatalities at more than 18,000. This makes MRSA infections a burden comparable to the one caused by AIDS.
The involvement of the CDC gave the report a semi-official character and massive media attention in the US. The increased public concern bears the danger of scientifically unfounded hyperactivity and even panic reactions. Besides the widely publicized school closures there have been reports of discrimination against suspected MRSA patients by employers, co-workers, and even family members.
Outside the US and the UK the issue is less prominent. However, media prominence does not correlate with the severity of the problem. In a report by the DGKH (German society for hospital hygiene) “Krank im Krankenhaus” PDF published in cooperation with Alliance Health Insurance, the number of MRSA associated fatalities was estimated at up to 50'000 (in a sample population of about 450 million).
This corresponds to a significantly higher prevalence compared to the 18'000 for the US (a population of about 300 million). Although the report was mentioned in a number of news articles there was no obvious effect on public opinion or politics.
However, there is reason to believe that the serious concerns surrounding MRSA will eventually be contained. There are number of promising treatments on the way. More importantly since MRSA is a problem of hygiene rather than therapy on a larger scale, hospitals are rapidly changing their practices. Much has been learned and continues to be learned form virtually MRSA free zones such as the Netherlands. In addition low-cost, reliable, and efficient methods for mass screening such as BCM® MRSA ELF® are made available.
One should not forget that the human costs resulting from other hygiene related microbial pandemics are much greater. One example is Shigella spp. which according to WHO estimates kills 1.6 million people every year. As in the case of MRSA such tragedy could be almost entirely prevented if proper practice and low-cost robust methods of screening were implemented.
The involvement of the CDC gave the report a semi-official character and massive media attention in the US. The increased public concern bears the danger of scientifically unfounded hyperactivity and even panic reactions. Besides the widely publicized school closures there have been reports of discrimination against suspected MRSA patients by employers, co-workers, and even family members.
Outside the US and the UK the issue is less prominent. However, media prominence does not correlate with the severity of the problem. In a report by the DGKH (German society for hospital hygiene) “Krank im Krankenhaus” PDF published in cooperation with Alliance Health Insurance, the number of MRSA associated fatalities was estimated at up to 50'000 (in a sample population of about 450 million).
This corresponds to a significantly higher prevalence compared to the 18'000 for the US (a population of about 300 million). Although the report was mentioned in a number of news articles there was no obvious effect on public opinion or politics.
However, there is reason to believe that the serious concerns surrounding MRSA will eventually be contained. There are number of promising treatments on the way. More importantly since MRSA is a problem of hygiene rather than therapy on a larger scale, hospitals are rapidly changing their practices. Much has been learned and continues to be learned form virtually MRSA free zones such as the Netherlands. In addition low-cost, reliable, and efficient methods for mass screening such as BCM® MRSA ELF® are made available.
One should not forget that the human costs resulting from other hygiene related microbial pandemics are much greater. One example is Shigella spp. which according to WHO estimates kills 1.6 million people every year. As in the case of MRSA such tragedy could be almost entirely prevented if proper practice and low-cost robust methods of screening were implemented.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
MRSA test call for farm animals
All farm animals should be tested for a form of the superbug MRSA, an organic group has urged the government.
The Soil Association says the bug is widespread in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, from where some of the meat eaten in the UK is imported.
In the Netherlands, 39% of pigs tested positive for the bug which can be passed to humans.
And 13% of calves also tested positive for the bug, which is different to the strain found in hospitals.
Poultry meat
The studies found that 50% of farmers were also positive, some of whom have been resistant to antibiotics.
The Soil Association blamed the use of antibiotics in farming for the problem.
No MRSA has been found in British farm animals but poultry meat and pork is imported from infected countries.
The Food Standards Agency says people will not catch the bug from meat if it is prepared hygienically and cooked properly.
Source:- BBC News
The Soil Association says the bug is widespread in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, from where some of the meat eaten in the UK is imported.
In the Netherlands, 39% of pigs tested positive for the bug which can be passed to humans.
And 13% of calves also tested positive for the bug, which is different to the strain found in hospitals.
Poultry meat
The studies found that 50% of farmers were also positive, some of whom have been resistant to antibiotics.
The Soil Association blamed the use of antibiotics in farming for the problem.
No MRSA has been found in British farm animals but poultry meat and pork is imported from infected countries.
The Food Standards Agency says people will not catch the bug from meat if it is prepared hygienically and cooked properly.
Source:- BBC News
Monday, June 18, 2007
Malta has third highest rate of antibiotic resistant infections in Europe
by Juan Ameen
A recently published European report has found that Malta has the third highest percentage of potentially deadly antibiotic-resistant hospital-acquired infections out of a list of 29 countries.
The report, which was compiled by the European Centre for Disease Prevention, found that Malta had an MRSA rate of around 55 per cent in 2005.
The study pointed out that, at present, the most important disease threat is from microorganisms that have become resistant to antibiotics. However, it went on to say that these are becoming a bigger problem outside hospitals because the microorganisms are also circulating within the community.
Romania had the highest rate of MRSA with almost 72 per cent, followed by Cyprus with around 65 per cent.
Malta came next with around 55 per cent, a slight reduction over last year’s figure of 57 per cent.
It estimated that around three million people in the EU catch a healthcare-associated infection that is fatal in around 50,000 cases.
It attributed the problem to the over-use or inappropriate use of antibiotic and anti-viral drugs, the spread of drug-resistant microbes, especially in hospitals, clinics and care centres, and a shortage of new antibiotic drugs.
“A key factor for the development of antimicrobial resistance is the amount of antibiotics used,” it said.
The study noted that detailed data on the use of antibiotics and its consumption patterns are difficult to obtain but pointed out that it is “difficult to understand why the amount of antibiotics consumed per inhabitant varies three-fold between member states.”
A recently published European report has found that Malta has the third highest percentage of potentially deadly antibiotic-resistant hospital-acquired infections out of a list of 29 countries.
The report, which was compiled by the European Centre for Disease Prevention, found that Malta had an MRSA rate of around 55 per cent in 2005.
The study pointed out that, at present, the most important disease threat is from microorganisms that have become resistant to antibiotics. However, it went on to say that these are becoming a bigger problem outside hospitals because the microorganisms are also circulating within the community.
Romania had the highest rate of MRSA with almost 72 per cent, followed by Cyprus with around 65 per cent.
Malta came next with around 55 per cent, a slight reduction over last year’s figure of 57 per cent.
It estimated that around three million people in the EU catch a healthcare-associated infection that is fatal in around 50,000 cases.
It attributed the problem to the over-use or inappropriate use of antibiotic and anti-viral drugs, the spread of drug-resistant microbes, especially in hospitals, clinics and care centres, and a shortage of new antibiotic drugs.
“A key factor for the development of antimicrobial resistance is the amount of antibiotics used,” it said.
The study noted that detailed data on the use of antibiotics and its consumption patterns are difficult to obtain but pointed out that it is “difficult to understand why the amount of antibiotics consumed per inhabitant varies three-fold between member states.”
Saturday, June 9, 2007
British hospitals 'among worst for superbugs'
British hospitals are among the worst in Europe for superbugs, according to figures published yesterday.
Britain was found to be the fifth worst country for superbug resistance
In a league table of 29 countries only Portugal, Malta, Cyprus and Romania have higher proportions of potentially deadly antibiotic-resistant hospital-acquired infections.
Only some forms of superbugs are resistant to antibiotics - including those known as MRSA. They are part of the staphylococcus aureus family of bacteria that can live on the skin or in the nose and can cause a range of illnesses and symptoms from boils and abscesses to life-threatening diseases such as meningitis and septicaemia.
By Bruno Waterfield and Nic Fleming
The bacteria become dangerous to patients once they enter the bloodstream and those that are resistant to antibiotics pose the greatest threat.
The European Union's Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) report on communicable diseases ranked countries based on the proportion of S aureus infections found to be antibiotic-resistant.
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With an MRSA rate of 44 per cent, Britain was found to be the fifth worst for superbug resistance, behind countries including Greece, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic.
The ECDC study compiled data showing the trend in superbug antibiotic resistance in recent years for each country.
The amount of MRSA as a proportion of all staphylococcus aureus infections in British hospitals was unchanged between 2002 and 2005.
In contrast it fell in other countries including Slovenia, Greece and in France.
Doctors fear the spread of resistance to antibiotics could lead to problems in treating other illnesses such as pneumonia.
The ECDC says the spread of hospital-acquired infections is now the main disease threat in Europe, despite continuing concerns over tuberculosis and HIV.
The report states: "If the present rapid negative development is not halted, mankind will soon lose one of its most important weapons against infectious diseases.
"The most important threat in Europe is posed by micro-organisms that have become resistant to antibiotics."
Figures released by the Office of National Statistics in February showed the number of death certificates in England and Wales that mentioned MRSA rose 39 per cent to 1,629 between 2004 and 2005.
This is widely seen as an underestimate because other causes are often listed when MRSA could have contributed to or been the primary cause deaths. Health officials privately concede they are unlikely to hit the Government target of halving the number of MRSA cases by April.
Andrew Lansley, the shadow health secretary, said: "With 7,000 nursing posts and 9,000 beds lost in the last year, it is little wonder that we are amongst the worst countries in Europe for rates of MRSA infections."
A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "The report does not show that the UK has one of the worst infection rates in Europe.
"The table only refers to the proportion of staphylococcus aureus blood stream infections that are caused by MRSA.
"Available information indicates that the prevalence of hospital-acquired infections in the UK is similar to those of other European countries and the United States."
Britain was found to be the fifth worst country for superbug resistance
In a league table of 29 countries only Portugal, Malta, Cyprus and Romania have higher proportions of potentially deadly antibiotic-resistant hospital-acquired infections.
Only some forms of superbugs are resistant to antibiotics - including those known as MRSA. They are part of the staphylococcus aureus family of bacteria that can live on the skin or in the nose and can cause a range of illnesses and symptoms from boils and abscesses to life-threatening diseases such as meningitis and septicaemia.
By Bruno Waterfield and Nic Fleming
The bacteria become dangerous to patients once they enter the bloodstream and those that are resistant to antibiotics pose the greatest threat.
The European Union's Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) report on communicable diseases ranked countries based on the proportion of S aureus infections found to be antibiotic-resistant.
advertisement
With an MRSA rate of 44 per cent, Britain was found to be the fifth worst for superbug resistance, behind countries including Greece, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic.
The ECDC study compiled data showing the trend in superbug antibiotic resistance in recent years for each country.
The amount of MRSA as a proportion of all staphylococcus aureus infections in British hospitals was unchanged between 2002 and 2005.
In contrast it fell in other countries including Slovenia, Greece and in France.
Doctors fear the spread of resistance to antibiotics could lead to problems in treating other illnesses such as pneumonia.
The ECDC says the spread of hospital-acquired infections is now the main disease threat in Europe, despite continuing concerns over tuberculosis and HIV.
The report states: "If the present rapid negative development is not halted, mankind will soon lose one of its most important weapons against infectious diseases.
"The most important threat in Europe is posed by micro-organisms that have become resistant to antibiotics."
Figures released by the Office of National Statistics in February showed the number of death certificates in England and Wales that mentioned MRSA rose 39 per cent to 1,629 between 2004 and 2005.
This is widely seen as an underestimate because other causes are often listed when MRSA could have contributed to or been the primary cause deaths. Health officials privately concede they are unlikely to hit the Government target of halving the number of MRSA cases by April.
Andrew Lansley, the shadow health secretary, said: "With 7,000 nursing posts and 9,000 beds lost in the last year, it is little wonder that we are amongst the worst countries in Europe for rates of MRSA infections."
A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "The report does not show that the UK has one of the worst infection rates in Europe.
"The table only refers to the proportion of staphylococcus aureus blood stream infections that are caused by MRSA.
"Available information indicates that the prevalence of hospital-acquired infections in the UK is similar to those of other European countries and the United States."
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