A SUPERBUG INFECTS OUR HOUSES
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A " superbug " resistant to antibiotics is now infesting the homes of the people , according to a new U.S. study finds .
The Methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus , commonly referred to as MRSA, is a bacterium that was once confined mainly to places such as hospitals and nursing homes, where it can cause severe conditions such as pneumonia and blood infections . The MRSA superbug is called because it is resistant to many common antibiotics .
Since the late 1980s, MRSA has begun to spread even outside of these places , affecting the community more widely , causing skin infections, some of which are potentially life threatening . The bacterium is spread by skin-to -skin contact or by sharing personal items such as towels or razors. And some groups are at higher risk : the athletes in contact sports and the people who live in small spaces , such as barracks or prisons.
But researchers have discovered that these common areas are not the only reservoirs of MRSA. " What our results show is that bacterial growth occurs in families ," said Anne- Catrin Uhlemann , of Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.
The new findings, published April 21 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is based on 161 residents of New York who have contracted MRSA infections between 2009 and 2011. Uhlemann The team analyzed the genetic composition of samples of MRSA by those patients , and took swabs from a comparison group of people the same age who had not been ill, to see if they harbored any kind of bacteria S. aureus . The researchers also tested other members of the family of each patient and their social contacts , and took samples from household surfaces to hunt for contamination by S. aureus .
Eventually, they found evidence that people's homes were " large tanks " of a strain called USA300 MRSA , which is the main cause of the continuous and widespread MRSA infections in the United States .
Bacteria taken from people living in the same house, for example , are genetically very similar, while there is greater genetic variability between samples from different families.
" The implication, said Uhlemann , is that we can not treat the person with the infection . We have groped to remove MRSA from the house. And ' possible to use bleach to clean surfaces and hot water to wash sheets and clothes that an infected person has used . "
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates about one in three people carry staph bacteria in the nose , usually without the disease. About 2 % of people are carriers of MRSA.
It is believed that the spread of the superbug in the wider community to be caused by misuse and abuse of antibiotics . When bacteria are exposed to an antibiotic but survive , can rapidly mutate to become resistant to that drug.
"This , again , requires ' careful use of antibiotics," said Uhlemann " We know that about half of all antibiotics prescribed are unnecessary. Antibiotics kill only bacteria , so they are useless against viral infections such as the common cold and should not be prescribed for these conditions . Whether you need an antibiotic, it is important to take it for a full cycle : a premature may allow some bacteria to survive and develop resistance to the drug . "
Source: Worldhealth
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