http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/10/16/mrsa.cdc.ap/index.html

Wheee! Evolution in action.

I had posted many months ago, that this was a prime example for an argument against Creationalists who discredit the Evolution "Theory"....
If you read any household cleaner, it says 99.9% effecrive against germs/bacteria....
The .1% left over gets to survive, and multiply, and laughs at the cleaner you just used to kill its bretheren....

Most creationists will just say that this microevolution isn't a problem for their beliefs. Rather, it's macroevolution (one species into another) that they regard as false. It's ultimately no better an argument, but it does get them around the germs-into-worse-germs scenario.

Superbugs are neat. Also, we're totally screwed.

The UK bans (http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=3611982) neckties, jewelry and long sleeves in an effort to battle infection, especially the spread of MRSA. Ties are worn often but rarely laundered, and can harbor pathogens. US hospitals might want to consider this, too, after nearly half of medical personnels' ties in a NY hospital were found (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/05/040525062317.htm) to harbor disease-causing pathogens.

Right. Down with ties!

The whole thing has me a bit uptight about folks in the gym not wiping down the equipment after they use it. I work at a Pharma company that does R&D onsite, and the odds of contamination are unlikely due to safety protocols, but one thing I do not want is a superbug loose in the gym.

My Mother died from a staph infection back in 1985, it was a truy horrific way to go as it seemed to shut down each of her vital organs one at a time.

Another thing I heard about many moons ago, was a theory of how the dinosaurs went extinct.
While the most popular theory is an asteroid impact ended the reign of the "thunder lizards" someone suggested that viruses and bacteria might have actually been to blame.
Maybe we should be as wary of death not from above, but so small we can't even see it....

Sixee, have you considered changing your avatar to a that of a parrot http://www.ayonae.ro/images/smilies/wink.gif? Just saying...

We are poised for a return to the 1920s, where people routinely die of sepsis from seemingly minor injuries/illnesses and hospitals are where people go to die. I personally know two people who have had to have amputations due to MRSA infections localizing in the bone and being ineradicable. Needless to say, I'm not looking forward to my next trip under the knife (which will be soon).


We largely have our fabulous for-profit Big Pharma and Insurance-driven medical machine to thank for the situation having reached the state it has, as well; for it's far more profitable, not to mention sexy, to put out a zillion and one 'treatments' for non-diseases such as 'restless leg syndrome' which can be marked directly to the public, and make minute tweaks to existing high volume/high profit drugs in order to keep those fat in-patent profits rolling in, than it is to do the decidely non-glamorous and lengthy (~ 10 years) work of developing a new antibiotic, which may not even be 'needed', and can't be marketed directly (oversold) to the public.

For those who are concerned about MRSA:

First off, S. aureus is ubiquitous (everywhere, it's a normal skin organism, you have millions of them living on you right now http://www.ayonae.ro/images/smilies/smile.gif ), so getting rid of it is completely impossible (and makes me wonder what that so called 'expert' was smoking when he talked about a vaccine 'being the Holy Grail of S. aureus research'). What you want to do is make sure it doesn't gain access in large numbers to other compartments in your body (either through wounds, surgery, or other indwelling portals to your body (catheters, G- or J- tubes, central lines, etc).

The best way to do this, bar none, is plain old soap and water, in most cases. Because S. aureus lives *in* the upper layers of your skin, the mechanical action of scrubbing and the emulsifying action of the soap is going to do a better job than most topical treatments, and not only do 'antibacterial' soaps fail to perform significantly better than the regular kind, they promote the spread of resistance to these chemicals (P. aeruginosa , another organism commonly found on the skin and a common problem for folks with indwelling devices, already happily grows *in* triclosan and chlorhexidine solutions). Betadine and other iodophor compounts are also useful in that they have a lingering action in the skin.

Proper wound cleaning (hydrogen peroxide is largely useless btw, because S. aureus is catalase-positive and readily breaks it down) and the use of antibiotic ointments (these are useful because they are a different class of antibiotic (polymyxins) than the kind you can take orally and use a different mode of action which is nonspecific) along with appropriate, frequently changed dressings, are the best way to make sure MRSA doesn't get a toehold in any minor cuts/scrapes you might acquire. As far as nosocomial (medical facility acquired) or iatrogenic (introduced as a result of a medical procedure) infections, if you know in advance that you're going to need a medical procedure done, find out as much as you can about the infection control procedures in that facility, and keep your stay there as short as possible. If you need dental work and have any sort of surgical prosthesis, you will want to let your dentist know as they may want you to premedicate as well - MRSA as well as Strep A infections sometimes occur as a result of bacteria being introduced to the bloodstream during cleaning and attaching to prosthetic/tissue interfaces.

We are in for a lot of darker days, as far as infectious diseases go, before things get better, and I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing quarantine being instituted again for certain diseases (XDR TB, for example).

Regards,
Nydia

Btw, it's funny that Thor mentioned the bit about ties and lab coats; I currently teach a Microbiology course and it's been hard to convince folks that they should abandon the traditional lab coat and wear short sleeves and short sleeved lab covers (they have the urge, or instinct, to 'protect' themselves with that germ-sopping white coat, not considering that it's much easier to decontaminate skin at the beginning and end of the day and whenever else necessary :) ).

Clearly we need to genetically engineer a meaner bacteria that eats staph and excretes one liners with an Austrian accent.

We need bigger Reeses monkey's with lasers to fight them !

We need bigger Reeses monkey's with lasers to fight them !

I'll go with Sea Bass.

I thought it was "laser".....

And I'm not sure why my avatar should be a parrot.

Until we primates are smart enuff to build a "time machine" and see firsthand the demise of the dinosaurs, it would behoove us to keep an open mind about how it all happened.
Wouldn't quarrentines and other methods be another way for the Government to control the masses?
Food for thought....

Wouldn't quarrentines and other methods be another way for the Government to control the masses?

That's called Halflife!