Lethal superbug rises seven-fold in US
Scientists in US warn of deadly risk of MRSA after seven-fold increase in outpatient centres
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By Darren Plant. |  |
Tuesday, 24, Nov 2009 07:25
A study has warned of the emerging 'new threat' of the deadly superbug MRSA in the US.
According to a study in the December issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases the community-associated strain of the deadly superbug poses a "far greater health risk than previously known" and is making its way into hospitals.
The report found MRSA is easily picked up in fitness centres, schools, and other public places and has increased the overall burden of the superbug within hospitals.
The study analysed data from more than 300 microbiology labs serving hospitals all over the US. It found a seven-fold increase in the proportion of "community-associated" strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, in outpatient hospital units between 1999 and 2006.
The authors say this increase threatens patient safety because doctors and patients often move back and forth between inpatient and outpatient units of a hospital.
"This emerging epidemic of community-associated MRSA strains appears to add to the already high MRSA burden in hospitals," said contributor Ramanan Laxminarayan.
MRSA kills an estimated 20,000 people in the US each year. The superbug, which is resistant to most common antibiotics, can attack wounds and trigger potentially lethal blood stream infections. Community-associated strains, while generally less virulent and susceptible to more antibiotics, can still be life-threatening.
"MRSA has generally been a significant problem only in hospitals," said Eili Klein, the report's lead author and researcher at the thinktank Resources for the Future.
"But the findings from this study suggest that there is a significant reservoir in the community as well."
The authors say to stop the spread of MRSA hospitals will need to step up infection control procedures, including those practiced in outpatient units.