I am a clinical microbiologist, and I manage the microbiology laboratory at
a mid-sized hospital. I am part of our Infection Control Team, and we are
presently trying our best to get a handle on the MRSA problem at our
hospital....just as every other hospital in America is trying. There's a
lot of misconceptions, and misunderstandings about what MRSA is, and is not.
MRSA is Methicillin Resistant Staphlococcus aureus. It is a patricular
strain (actually it's more correct to say several strains, now) of S. aureus
that has aquired genes that allow it to be resistant to a whole class of
antibiotics...the beta lactams (of which methicillin is one).This is
unfortunate, because this class of antibiotics is otherwise quite useful.
S. aureus is a very common bacteria, and it resides on the skin and/or in
the nares of a large percentage of people. It can live on intact skin or
mucous membrane without causing any problems at all. But when it's able to
get into a break in the skin, or find it's way into the lower respiratory
tract, it can be very invasive, and cause severe infections. It can usually
be treated successfully with antibiotics. The problem with MRSA is, there's
fewer antibiotics available that will kill it, and those that will kill it
often must be given IV, which usually means a hospital stay.
MRSA (and all S. aureus) is spread mostly by direct contact, mostly by
hands. You're a nurse or doctor, you treat a patient, you get it on your
hands. You hug your grandma, or Uncle Bill, you get it on your hands. It
lives there to spread to anyone else you touch until you wash your hands.
Simple handwashing with soap and warm water gets rid of almost all of it.
There's also several lotions widely available (and as far as I know, the FDA
didn't send anyone to jail for developing them) that do a good job of
killing MRSA.
So why the problem? Two things:
First, the development of "superbugs like" MRSA or Vancomycim resistant
enterococcus (VRE) is the direct result of inappropriate use of antibiotics.
Bacteria are very quick to adapt to changes in order to survive. Expose
them to an antibiotic, and sooner or later, they will aquire some mechnism
of resistance to that antibiotic. We very often use antibiotics when
there's no clear cut reason to use them...sort of just to make sure. But
that just increases their opportunity to develop resistance. Antibiotics
are a powerful tool, but the more we use them, the less affective they
become.
Second, it's really, really difficult to get people to wash their hands
between patients! If we would every time without fail, we could nearly halt
the spread of MRSA! So why don't we do it? Most caregivers are so
busy...so very, very busy, they just don't take the time. They think, "I
didn't touch the site of the infection", not realizing the bug is probably
on the patient's intact skin, bedside rails, covers, call button, bedside
tables...you get the picture...it's most every where the patient may have
touched.
The best thing we all can do is stay healthy longer, so we don't have to
spend time in a hospital setting, where we may well pick up MRSA and other
bugs like it. To do that, we need to get plenty of physical activity,
plenty of proper sleep, and eat a healthy variety of plant foods to get what
we need to support our immune systems and other functions of our bodies.
Herbal supplements are a good way to accomplish this.....feel free to e-mail
me with any questions, and/or visit my website at:
http://www.geocities.com/michael_cantrell2001/herbal.html
"Clifford Stern" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:Deadly hospital superbug MRSA may have finally met its match - a lotion
developed by a humble trucker.
Brian Bennett, 64, has no medical or scientific training and stumbled
across the solution as he tried to develop a hand cream for his
42-year-old wife.
Experts are convinced the cream will save many lives from the bug, which
killed 800 people in British hospitals in 2002, The Sun has reported.
_____________________________
Full story at:
http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-13075263,00.html
It's fortunate for Mr. Bennett that he isn't an American. Otherwise, the
FDA would have spent milions of dollars to have him thrown in prison for
the rest of his life.
Clifford Stern
[email hidden]
