WASHINGTON, Nov 30, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- The community-associated strain of
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a far greater threat than
previously considered, U.S. researchers say.
Ramanan Laxminarayan, principal investigator for Extending the Cure, a project
of the think-tank Resources for the Future in Washington that examines policy
solutions for the problem of antibiotic resistance, said the "superbug" poses a
far greater health threat than previously known and is making its way into
hospitals.
The deadly infection-causing bacteria, easily picked up in fitness centers,
schools and other public places, is resistant to most common antibiotics.
Most MRSA infections occur in hospitals or other healthcare settings -- health
care-associated MRSA -- but community-associated MRSA occurs among otherwise
healthy people in the wider community.
The researchers analyzed data from more than 300 microbiology labs serving U.S.
hospitals and found a seven-fold increase in the proportion of
"community-associated" strains of MRSA in outpatient hospital units from
1999-2006.
The researchers found that the proportion of MRSA increased more than 90 percent
among outpatients with staph and now accounts for more than 50 percent of all
Staphylococcus aureus infections. The findings suggest this was due almost
entirely to an increase in community-associated strains, which jumped from 3.6
percent of all MRSA infections to 28.2 from 1999-2006.
The findings are to be published in the December issue of Emerging Infectious
Diseases.
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Copyright 2009 by United Press International