Word: mrsa
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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While the football team has suffered several losses due to behavioral issues this season, the more pressing issues as far as University health officials are concerned have been bacterial. An antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection known as Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus [MRSA], which has been working its way through the ranks of professional and amateur athletes, found its way into Harvard Stadium this fall. “I think there’s clear evidence that [MRSA] is on the rise, and particularly worrisome is that it’s on the rise among otherwise healthy populations like children and athletes...
...however, you or a loved one is running a high fever, has a lot of redness or shows signs that an abscess is forming, you need to get to a doctor right away. "It never hurts for a patient to say something like, Could this be an MRSA infection?" says Dr. Jack Edwards, chief of infectious disease at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. It could make all the difference in the world...
There's another factor that makes the community-based MRSA so dangerous, one that has been revealed only recently by genetic analysis. In addition to their normal chromosomal DNA, staph and other bacteria like to mix and match genetic information by exchanging short strips of DNA called cassettes. Some of those cassettes carry genetic instructions to do two things at once: confer antibiotic resistance and make the host even more susceptible to infection. "MRSA is where resistance and virulence converge," says Daum...
What epidemiologists still can't explain, however, is how that particular bug manages to get around to so many cities and towns yet has left others relatively unscathed--at least so far. Cases of the new MRSA strain have only just started cropping up in New York City, for example. "We've been waiting for this to happen," says Dr. Betsy Herold of Mt. Sinai. "Now, we're in a unique position to watch it unfold and to find out why it's happening...
Meanwhile, there are things you can do to protect yourself (see box). To prevent more bugs from developing resistance, it's important to remember that not all skin infections need antibiotic treatment, even MRSA. "A garden-variety infection is still a garden-variety infection," says Dr. Philip Graham at New York-Presbyterian's Children's Hospital in New York City. "If your cuts and scrapes are acting like they always do, don't worry...