New study finds MRSA on the rise in hospital outpatientsNovember
24th, 2009 in Medicine & Health / Diseases, Conditions,
Syndromes The community-associated strain of the deadly superbug
MRSA -- an infection-causing bacteria resistant to most common
antibiotics -- poses a far greater health threat than previously
known and is making its way into hospitals, according to a study
in the December issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases. The new
threat is easily picked up in fitness centers, schools, and
other public places and has increased the overall burden of MRSA
within hospitals, the report found. The study, which analyzed
data from more than 300 microbiology labs serving hospitals all
over the United States, found a seven-fold increase in the
proportion of "community-associated" strains of methicillin-
resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, in outpatient hospital
units between 1999 and 2006. According to study authors, this
increase threatens patient safety because doctors and patients
often move back and fo