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  • SATURDAY APRIL 9 2005 1:00 PM

Flesh Eating Drug Resistant Bug Reaches Alarming levels

Submitted by dem_z

Edited by Shal

Flesh eating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSRA) infections have been seen outside hospitals in America. US doctors are warning people about the alarming rise in the rate of infection.

The infections in the US community have typically manifested as skin infections, such as pimples and boils, in otherwise healthy people.

Although none of the 14 patients died, they had serious complications, including the need for reconstructive surgery and prolonged stay in the intensive care unit.

The CDC has been investigating clusters of the community-acquired MRSA skin infections among athletes, military recruits and prisoners.

A common theme associated with the spread of these MRSA skin infections appears to be close skin-to-skin contact, openings in the skin such as cuts or abrasions, contaminated items and surfaces, crowded living conditions and poor hygiene.


This sounds like every student accomodation that I've ever seen. The methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is not the same as the one rampaging through UK hospitals.

In the UK, there have been some cases of MRSA in the community, but experts say these are different to the cases arising in the US.

Dr Jodi Lindsay, lecturer in infectious diseases at St George's hospital, said although no cases had been reported in the UK yet, it was a concern.

"We are worried these community-acquired MRSAs might come over here from the US," she said.

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Comments
Rabidnid

Rabidnid

Australia
May 2004

APR 10, 2005 08:25 PM

traceelement said:
I am pretty sure that the case of the sydney school girl having amputations (1999) was due to Meningococcal disease. Caused by infection by one of the various strains of meningococcus bacteria resulting in meningitis or septicaemia.



Could be true, it was a while ago...

Oh fuck, that means there are at least two kinds of flesh eating bugs that can kill you in a day, both seemingly random that are practically immune to antibiotics - hands up if your never leaving the house again.

Callahan

Callahan

Seattle, WA
February 2005

APR 10, 2005 09:28 PM

DLPChris said:
Let's see... MRSA killed 955 people last year. Influenza killed 36201 people last year. I'm not too worried about MRSA.



60,000 odd people in the usa died of car crashes last year.....how many of you are suddenly gonna stop driving?
This is no biggie. It sucks if you get it but thus far, its a big IF.



jake_lex said:

We've become so germ phobic that we are, in effect, making germs that much more potent.



People need to play in the mud more.

[Edited on Apr 10, 2005 9:28PM]

traceelement

traceelement

Australia
March 2005

APR 10, 2005 09:32 PM

Callahan said:

People need to play in the mud more.



I second that it did me good as a kid, I used to play with all the other snotty nosed kids in the dirt etc and now if I get some new strain of flu I'm laid up for a couple of days rather than the week or so that most people I know get laid up for.

[Edited on Apr 11, 2005 by traceelement]

bean

bean

STAFF

Los Angeles, CA

APR 10, 2005 09:33 PM

Rabidnid said:

traceelement said:
I am pretty sure that the case of the sydney school girl having amputations (1999) was due to Meningococcal disease. Caused by infection by one of the various strains of meningococcus bacteria resulting in meningitis or septicaemia.



Could be true, it was a while ago...

Oh fuck, that means there are at least two kinds of flesh eating bugs that can kill you in a day, both seemingly random that are practically immune to antibiotics - hands up if your never leaving the house again.


Um. No, it doesn't. Meningococcus bacteria is not a "flesh eating bug," and nobody other than you has claimed that anything mentioned thus far can "kill you in a day." This is the sort of rampant disregard for getting the facts straight that really annoys me to no end about this sort of story. The story says there is some concern within doctors about the spread of a bacteria that hasn't, as yet, killed anyone and has manifested in the form of "pimples and boils." Yeah, it causes people to have to be taken to the ICU, but you know, so do a lot of illnesses. It doesn't mean you'll lose a limb or a lung.

It's not the same thing as the MRSA that has appeared in other places, including the UK.

Also:

DLPChris said:
Let's see... MRSA killed 955 people last year. Influenza killed 36201 people last year. I'm not too worried about MRSA.


Ding! I'm glad somebody else gets it.

[Edited on Apr 10, 2005 by bean]

traceelement

traceelement

Australia
March 2005

APR 10, 2005 09:40 PM

bean said:

Rabidnid said:

traceelement said:
I am pretty sure that the case of the sydney school girl having amputations (1999) was due to Meningococcal disease. Caused by infection by one of the various strains of meningococcus bacteria resulting in meningitis or septicaemia.



Could be true, it was a while ago...

Oh fuck, that means there are at least two kinds of flesh eating bugs that can kill you in a day, both seemingly random that are practically immune to antibiotics - hands up if your never leaving the house again.


Um. No, it doesn't. Meningococcus bacteria is not a "flesh eating bug," and nobody other than you has claimed that anything mentioned thus far can "kill you in a day." This is the sort of rampant disregard for getting the facts straight that really annoys me to no end about this sort of story. The story says there is some concern within doctors about the spread of a bacteria that hasn't, as yet, killed anyone and has manifested in the form of "pimples and boils" in 14 people. Yeah, it causes people to have to be taken to the ICU, but you know, so do a lot of illnesses. It doesn't mean you'll lose a limb or a lung.

It's not the same thing as the MRSA that has appeared in other places, including the UK.

Also:

DLPChris said:
Let's see... MRSA killed 955 people last year. Influenza killed 36201 people last year. I'm not too worried about MRSA.


Ding! I'm glad somebody else gets it.




Yeah I agree with you guys, however Meningococcal can kill you very quickly if not identified and treated quickly cases have been reported at least here in Australia of parents putting their teenagers to bed one night and they are dead or at the least crashing terribly in ICU the following evening.

Anyway check out http://www.meningococcal-australia.org.au if you are interested in the facts.

bean

bean

STAFF

Los Angeles, CA

APR 10, 2005 09:47 PM

traceelement said:
Yeah I agree with you guys, however Meningococcal can kill you very quickly if not identified and treated quickly cases have been reported at least here in Australia of parents putting their teenagers to bed one night and they are dead or at the least crashing terribly in ICU the following evening.

Anyway check out http://www.meningococcal-australia.org.au if you are interested in the facts.


Oh, I'm not arguing that meningococcal isn't bad. I had a friend who almost died from spinal meningitis when I was 13, and she was in the hospital for about 2 months.

I just want to clarify the fact that we're talking about C-MRSA here, not normal hospital MRSA and certainly not meningococcal bacteria.

bean

bean

STAFF

Los Angeles, CA

APR 10, 2005 10:09 PM

For all you people freaking out about this, here's a good fact sheet about community-acquired MRSA. Here's another one from the CDC.

The majority of cases involve infected skin lesions, and in some cases, treatment requires hospitalization. It can be treated with antibiotics, and in some cases, simply by draining the skin abscess.


[Edited on Apr 10, 2005 by bean]

traceelement

traceelement

Australia
March 2005

APR 10, 2005 10:21 PM

Yeah I realise the thread is about MRSA. guess I got a little sided tracked with the posts regarding meningococcal. Anyway yeah I know all about MRSA as my great aunt in the UK lost both her legs to it due to MRSA and circulation problems...

Shes a bit of a battle axe though with sense of humour to boot and was heard on when being wheeled out of the hospital to state that "since she had lost her legs, it was only fitting that she went home and get well and truly legless" biggrin

bean

bean

STAFF

Los Angeles, CA

APR 10, 2005 11:03 PM

traceelement said:
Yeah I realise the thread is about MRSA. guess I got a little sided tracked with the posts regarding meningococcal. Anyway yeah I know all about MRSA as my great aunt in the UK lost both her legs to it due to MRSA and circulation problems...


Oh, I wasn't admonishing you for posting the meningococcal info. I actually really appreciated the clarification on that. I meant I was clarifying what the story was about, since some people had apparently gotten the matter confused with other things.smile

dem_z

dem_z

United Kingdom
June 2004

APR 10, 2005 11:06 PM

traceelement said:
Yeah I realise the thread is about MRSA. guess I got a little sided tracked with the posts regarding meningococcal. Anyway yeah I know all about MRSA as my great aunt in the UK lost both her legs to it due to MRSA and circulation problems...


I'd bet that she lost her legs due to circulation problems then picked up MRSA as a secondary infection while in hospital.

dem_z

dem_z

United Kingdom
June 2004

APR 10, 2005 11:15 PM

bean said:

DLPChris said:
Let's see... MRSA killed 955 people last year. Influenza killed 36201 people last year. I'm not too worried about MRSA.


Ding! I'm glad somebody else gets it.


I dunno, bird Flu only has only killed a few hundred people so far, but I'm worried about that. eeek

bean said:
For all you people freaking out about this, here's a good fact sheet about community-acquired MRSA. Here's another one from the CDC.

The majority of cases involve infected skin lesions, and in some cases, treatment requires hospitalization. It can be treated with antibiotics, and in some cases, simply by draining the skin abscess.


How can I go around spreading panic and mayhem if you keep giving people _information_ mad wink

The MR bit of MRSA means that some antimicrobials do not work, and the list if getting smaller. eeek

bean

bean

STAFF

Los Angeles, CA

APR 10, 2005 11:16 PM

demetrius_z said:

traceelement said:
Yeah I realise the thread is about MRSA. guess I got a little sided tracked with the posts regarding meningococcal. Anyway yeah I know all about MRSA as my great aunt in the UK lost both her legs to it due to MRSA and circulation problems...


I'd bet that she lost her legs due to circulation problems then picked up MRSA as a secondary infection while in hospital.


I bet traceelement knows what he's talking about, and I don't doubt that she lost her legs due to MRSA, because, while she was probably in the hospital for something else in the first place, hospital-based MRSA can in a few cases cause blood, bone, or joint infection.

bean

bean

STAFF

Los Angeles, CA

APR 10, 2005 11:21 PM

demetrius_z said:

bean said:
For all you people freaking out about this, here's a good fact sheet about community-acquired MRSA. Here's another one from the CDC.

The majority of cases involve infected skin lesions, and in some cases, treatment requires hospitalization. It can be treated with antibiotics, and in some cases, simply by draining the skin abscess.


How can I go around spreading panic and mayhem if you keep giving people _information_ mad wink

The MR bit of MRSA means that some antimicrobials do not work, and the list if getting smaller. eeek


Bullshit.

The MR bit of MRSA means it's resistant to methicillin. The problem with that is that methicillin is one of the more widely-used antibiotics, and it's not that it "does not work," it's that it is resistant. It can still be treated with antibiotics. Please read the damn fact sheets already.

You may think it's fun to see how panicked you can get people by spreading this nonsense alarmist bullshit, but you should at least get your facts straight first.

metalslut

metalslut

Vancouver, WA
January 2003

APR 11, 2005 12:10 AM

and i was worried about increasing gas prices.

Rabidnid

Rabidnid

Australia
May 2004

APR 11, 2005 12:33 AM

bean Um. No, it doesn't. Meningococcus bacteria is not a "flesh eating bug," and nobody other than you has claimed that anything mentioned thus far can "kill you in a day." This is the sort of rampant disregard for getting the facts straight that really annoys me to no end about this sort of story.




Meningococcus is certainly a killer in Australia to the point where they are starting to imunise against is in schools, though there is debate over the untility of that because of the diferent strains of it going around. It may not be a flesh eating virus but what was left of that girl after the amputations and surgery makes the point moot.

You have got me interested though because a "flesh eating bug" has been doing the rounds in the media for about a decade now, though at least half of those reoprts were of meningococcus, the others are much more similar to the thing being described here, with large scale removal of surface tissue and the use of antibiotics (at least in the cases that made it into the media).

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