Gene sleuthing tracks variation in MRSA superbug
21.01.10
The conclusion came as British scientists used in-depth gene scanning to prints how a dangerous strain of this bacteria, called MRSA, has spread around the fraternity.
The result, published Thursday in the journal Science: Practical substantiation about why some hospital defenses fall short, and a possible new tool to arrogate figure out better ones.
"To the lay public, MRSA condign means one big, bad, ugly organism," said Dr. Buddy Creech, a Vanderbilt University communicable disease specialist who wasn't involved in the research but called it an top-level step - because it uncovers multiple subtypes that standard testing can't.
"It proves to us that not all MRSA are created equally," he said.
MRSA stands for methicillin-impenetrable to Staphylococcus aureus, a form of the incredibly common staph one's nearest of germs. About one in every three people carries staph aureus in their noses with no symptoms but still can infect others; about 1 million people in the U.S. convey the MRSA type. The germs usually cause skin infections but can be cadaverous if they penetrate the bloodstream or organs, and MRSA is blamed for about 18,000 U.S. deaths a year.
Source: Washington Post