MEDICAL DAILY
By Susan Scutti
04/18/2014
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MRSA |
Bacterial Infections
Generally, infection with S. aureus bacteria (a staph infection) causes no problems or results in relatively minor skin irritations. But a simple staph infection can turn deadly if the bacteria enter your bloodstream, joints, bones, lungs, or heart. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in three people carry staph in their nose, usually without any illness, while two in 100 people carry MRSA. Anyone can get MRSA through direct contact with an infected wound or by sharing personal items, such as towels or razors, that have touched infected skin.
In fact, community-associated MRSA is responsible for the majority of skin and soft tissue infections (sores) in patients of all ages. Although some are not serious, some of these infections can become fatal. Add to that the fact that the new superbug may affect healthy individuals as well as sick, with the ability to invade the bloodstream and may become a serious threat. “This is the first-ever reported bloodstream infection caused by a highly vancomycin-resistant MRSA bacteria,” Arias said in a press release.
Arias and his colleagues recovered the MRSA superbug from the blood of a 35-year-old Brazilian man. Through a microbiological and genetic analysis, the scientists identified a unique transferable element carrying the genes necessary for vancomycin resistance (vanA gene cluster). However, the team cautioned, it is too early to tell what this specific superbug might lead to since this is the single documented case of this type of infection.
“There will have to be increased surveillance in South America and worldwide in the future,” concluded Dr. Barbara E. Murray, co-author and director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the UTHealth Medical School.
Source: Rossi F, Diaz L, Arias CA, et al. Transferable Vancomycin Resistance in a Community-Associated MRSA Lineage. New England Journal of Medicine. 2014.