MRSA Now a Major Epidemic

from the October 28, 2008 eNews issue

Heath officials say a potentially deadly form of staph infection, commonly known as MRSA, has become a major epidemic in the United States. As MRSA spreads it is also becoming more drug-resistant. A new study by the Centers for Disease Control found that about 10 percent of common community-acquired MRSA strains are now impervious, not only to penicillin, but also to clindamycin, tetracycline, Bactrim and other antibiotics.

Each year more than 95,000 Americans are infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, resulting in approximately 20,000 deaths. Health experts warn the drug-resistant "superbug" has the potential to kill more Americans than AIDS.

Staph infections, including MRSA, occur most frequently in hospitals and healthcare facilities. However staph infections are becoming more and more common outside of the hospital setting. According to the CDC, "infections with significant antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, the types formerly seen only in hospitals, now have onset in the community - old diseases have learned new tricks."

Communities across the country are reporting an increase in outbreaks of staph infections, particularly among athletes. MRSA bacteria can live on common surfaces such as tables or doorknobs for days or weeks and can be transmitted when someone touches an infected surface. Health officials believe many of the infections are being spread in gyms and locker rooms. An MRSA outbreak that spread among high school athletes last year prompted the closure of dozens of schools for cleaning. Earlier this month two high school football players died from MRSA infections - one from Philadelphia and one from central Florida.

With the advent of antibiotics more than 50 years ago, scientists predicted the end of death and suffering from infectious diseases. During the past 30 years, however, we have witnessed the reemergence and geographical spread of well-known diseases, including tuberculosis, malaria, and cholera, often in more virulent and drug-resistant forms. Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, and the third leading cause of death in the United States.

Diseases thought to be obsolete have once again become a global threat, and in recent years new pathogens have emerged, some of which carry antibiotic-resistant genes or mutations enabling them to move across different species. Click on the links below to learn more about this subject.