Study: MRSA ‘Superbug’ Found in US homes

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   Atlanta (CBS ATLANTA) – An anti-biotic resistant “superbug” that has long affected hospitals and other health care locations around the world has now found a new “reservoir” location: inside U.S. homes.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacteria that is resistant to many of the strongest antibiotics, and although recent prevalence has been limited to hospitals and nursing homes, a new study of 161 New York City residents who contracted the MRSA infections finds that the these people’s homes were “major reservoirs” for the bacteria strains, HealthDay reports.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that in communities outside of health care settings, most MRSA strains are skin infections that are spread by physical contact, such as the sharing of towels or razors. Athletes, military barracks, prisons and other close-quarter living areas are at an increased risk of contracting and spreading the bug.

In medical facilities, MRSA causes life-threatening bloodstream infections, pneumonia and surgical infections.

But the new study shows that the MRSA “reservoirs” have spread into average U.S. homes.

“What our findings show is it’s also endemic in households,” lead researcher Dr. Anne-Catrin Uhlemann, of Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, tells HealthDay, from the study published in the Proceedings for the National Academy of Sciences.

According to a report released by the CDC last September, more than 2 million Americans get drug-resistant infections each year. And about 23,000 die from these diseases that are increasingly resistant to the strongest antibiotics that doctors use to fight the infections.

Uhlemann and fellow researchers took samples from those affected by MRSA strains along with samples of a comparison group of people how had not fallen ill. The researchers then took samples from these patients’ household surfaces and other social contacts to see if the bacteria had spread.

Ultimately, the research showed that many homes outside of just those affected by MRSA were “major reservoirs” for the MRSA strain, USA300, which HealthDay notes is the primary cause of MRSA infections in communities throughout the country.

Read more at:   http://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2014/04/22/study-antibiotic-resistant-mrsa-superbug-found-in-us-homes/

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Heads up folks ....this could be worth watching.

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rickster58 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Joined: March 09 2009 Location: Sydney Status: Offline Points: 4875	Post Options Post Reply Quote rickster58 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Study: MRSA ‘Superbug’ Found in US homes Posted: April 23 2014 at 4:29am
	Atlanta (CBS ATLANTA) – An anti-biotic resistant “superbug” that has long affected hospitals and other health care locations around the world has now found a new “reservoir” location: inside U.S. homes. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacteria that is resistant to many of the strongest antibiotics, and although recent prevalence has been limited to hospitals and nursing homes, a new study of 161 New York City residents who contracted the MRSA infections finds that the these people’s homes were “major reservoirs” for the bacteria strains, HealthDay reports. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that in communities outside of health care settings, most MRSA strains are skin infections that are spread by physical contact, such as the sharing of towels or razors. Athletes, military barracks, prisons and other close-quarter living areas are at an increased risk of contracting and spreading the bug. In medical facilities, MRSA causes life-threatening bloodstream infections, pneumonia and surgical infections. But the new study shows that the MRSA “reservoirs” have spread into average U.S. homes. “What our findings show is it’s also endemic in households,” lead researcher Dr. Anne-Catrin Uhlemann, of Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, tells HealthDay, from the study published in the Proceedings for the National Academy of Sciences. According to a report released by the CDC last September, more than 2 million Americans get drug-resistant infections each year. And about 23,000 die from these diseases that are increasingly resistant to the strongest antibiotics that doctors use to fight the infections. Uhlemann and fellow researchers took samples from those affected by MRSA strains along with samples of a comparison group of people how had not fallen ill. The researchers then took samples from these patients’ household surfaces and other social contacts to see if the bacteria had spread. Ultimately, the research showed that many homes outside of just those affected by MRSA were “major reservoirs” for the MRSA strain, USA300, which HealthDay notes is the primary cause of MRSA infections in communities throughout the country. Read more at: http://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2014/04/22/study-antibiotic-resistant-mrsa-superbug-found-in-us-homes/ ************ Heads up folks ....this could be worth watching.

jacksdad Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Executive Admin Joined: September 08 2007 Location: San Diego Status: Offline Points: 47251	Post Options Post Reply Quote jacksdad Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: April 23 2014 at 7:49am
	This is just an indication of things to come. Between overprescription of antibiotics and antivirals and their rampant use in agribusiness, we're losing all of our front line medications because the pathogens are becoming resistant. No new classes of antibiotics have been developed in years, and we could be looking at a situation where simple infections could once again become as deadly as they used to be before the discovery of penicillin and the advent of antibiotic therapies. Scary prospect.
	"Buy it cheap. Stack it deep" "Any community that fails to prepare, with the expectation that the federal government will come to the rescue, will be tragically wrong." Michael Leavitt, HHS Secretary.