Have you read or heard about the crisis associated with
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) that is
sweeping across the United States? Hospitals, nursing homes,
schools, sports facilities, correctional facilities and child
day-care centers are reporting outbreaks of human nosocomial
infections with methicillin-resistant staphylococci. Figure 1:
Blood agar plate illustrating growth of transient bacteria on
the fingers of the right hand of a hospital employee after
administering a routine inoculation. These bacteria were
incubated at 37-degrees centigrade for 24 hours. MRSA is a type
of bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics. These
antibiotics include methicillin and other more-common
antibiotics such as oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin. Staph
infections, including MRSA, occur most frequently among persons
in hospitals and health-care facilities (such as nursing homes
and dialysis centers) who have weakened immune systems. MRSA
infections that occur in otherwise healthy people who