| ■ Resistant Staph Infections Are Global Problem | 06.06.23 |
| As many as 53 million people worldwide may be carriers of a bacterial superbug that's becoming more resistant to antibiotics, the Times of London said Wednesday. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a serious staph infection, is frequently acquired by surgical patients and others in hospitals. While the germ can be carried harmlessly on the skin, the bacterium can be lethal if it enters the body. The germ is spreading into the general community, where frequent physical contact can increase the risk of transmission, doctors at the Groningen University Medical Centre in the Netherlands wrote in the online version of The Lancet. Those most at risk of infection include homeless people, prisoners, military recruits, gay men, children in day-care centers, and athletes who participate in contact sports, the newspaper said. The drug-resistant germ is becoming more prevalent even in Scandinavian nations that have waged the biggest campaign against MRSA, the scientists said. Yahoo Health |