Super Bug

Super Bug

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterium that causes

infections in different parts of the body. The bug is tougher to treat than most strains of

Staphylococcus aureus -- or staph -- because it's resistant to most commonly used

antibiotics. The symptoms of MRSA depend on where you're infected. Quite often, it

causes mild infections on the skin, causing sores or boils. But it can also cause more

serious skin infections or infect surgical wounds, the bloodstream, the lungs, or the

urinary tract. Even though most MRSA infections aren't serious, some can be life threatening.

Many public health experts are alarmed by the spread of tough strains of

MRSA. Because it's hard to treat, MRSA is sometimes called a "super bug."

Getting staph infections are common, because of bacteria that can live on our

bodies. Plenty of healthy people carry staph without being infected by it. In fact, 25%-

30% of us have staph bacteria in our noses. But be aware staph can be a problem if it

manages to get into the body, often through cuts or scrapes. Once there, it can cause

an infection. Staph is one of the most common causes of skin infections in the U.S.

Usually, these are minor and don't need medical attention. Less often, staph can cause

serious problems like infected wounds or pneumonia.

Staph can usually be treated with antibiotics. But over the decades, some strains

of staph -- like MRSA -- have become resistant to antibiotics that once destroyed it.

MRSA was first discovered in 1961. It's now resistant to methicillin, amoxicillin,

penicillin, oxacillin, and many other antibiotics. Whose is MRSA spread by? Anyone

I could get MRSA by touching another person who has it on the skin. Or you could get it

by touching objects that have the bacteria on them. MRSA is carried, or "colonized," by

about 1% of the population, although most of them aren't infected.

MRSA infections are common among people who have weak immune systems

and...