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Flesh Eating Drug Resistant Bug Reaches Alarming levels

SATURDAY APRIL 9 2005 1:00 PM

Submitted by dem_z. Edited By Shalome.

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.

75 Comments

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inkncarrots

San Diego, CA

March 2004

APR 09, 2005 01:06 PM

Goodness! Stuff like this freaks me out ever since my brother got "flesh-eating bacteria" in his arm. Over 2 weeks in the intensive care unit, 3 surgeries to drain the pus, and he had to have 3 skin grafts on his arm. Scary stuff!

Stories like these turn me into a hypochondriac.

Satanica

Vatican City

November 2004

APR 09, 2005 01:18 PM

I know 3 people that have this in LA. Nasty business.

Call0us

Stewartsville, NJ

March 2005

APR 09, 2005 01:24 PM

Yet ANOTHER reason to sit inside on a sunny day and play video games.

zenFish

Vancouver, BC

August 2004

APR 09, 2005 01:24 PM

This thing freaks me out more then just about anything... granted I'm guessing it's probably as they said above, poor hygene, and low quality of life so to speak.

Basically, you can be a healthy ox, but if your living in a pile of shit... guess what.

ApostropheNow

Skull Valley, AZ

April 2004

APR 09, 2005 01:36 PM

28 Days Later...

you're chewin on the mailman.

SirPsychoSexy

Ridgewood, NJ

January 2004

APR 09, 2005 01:43 PM

ApostropheNow said:
28 Days Later...

you're chewin on the mailman.

ITS IN THE BLOOD!

mqx

Seattle, WA

January 2003

APR 09, 2005 01:55 PM

Way ahead of you.

I read this in 1996 right after it came out and it's getting truer and truer every day.

PS, Still widely available and highly recommended.

[Edited on Apr 09, 2005 1:56PM]

clara

MODERATOR

Baltimore, MD

APR 09, 2005 01:57 PM

The guy in my office who had this certainly fits the poor hygiene profile, but his doctor never did come up with a theory to explain how he got it.

s5

STAFF

San Francisco, CA

APR 09, 2005 01:58 PM

Mqx said:
I read this in 1996 right after it came out and it's getting truer and truer every day.

i've had a copy sitting on my bookshelf for about that long, and i'm afraid to read it for fear that i'll never leave the house again.

sixbysix

United Kingdom

December 2004

APR 09, 2005 02:08 PM

In the UK, MRSA is mostly caused by unclean hospitals and manifests itself as patients developing symptoms completely unrelated to their original complaint. I suspect my grandmother suffered this in 1993, when she was admitted to hospital and whilst there contracted an unknown infection which was diagnosed as something like septecemia.

According to the Tory opposition election campaign, MRSA is all Labour Govt.s fault, and the Tories will make it all better when they get in. The slogan is "How hard is it to keep a hospital clean?" Labour could respond with "Hey, at least it's not the flesh-eating kind!"

mrzarquon

Seattle, WA

November 2003

APR 09, 2005 02:13 PM

One of my friends almost lost his life to this. His total medical expenses were upwards of $75,000+.

They had to cut a 2x2x7 inch wedge of flesh from his thigh. Granted he was not exactly the cleanest guy I knew, but there are 2-3 more cases in my area alone. Thanks to the pharmaceutical plant on the main river which dumps its leftover drugs into it. The 2-3 additional cases are related to people swimming in the river.

Its messed up, thats for sure.

Baka_Amerikanjin

Seattle, WA

January 2004

APR 09, 2005 02:40 PM

s5 said:

Mqx said:
I read this in 1996 right after it came out and it's getting truer and truer every day.

i've had a copy sitting on my bookshelf for about that long, and i'm afraid to read it for fear that i'll never leave the house again.

ditto.

mariothemonkey

Avon, OH

June 2004

APR 09, 2005 02:47 PM

Moxaic said:
Yet ANOTHER reason to sit inside on a sunny day and play video games.

We need a reason for that >.>

Cassiel

Aurora, CO

September 2004

APR 09, 2005 03:07 PM

:is cleaning his dorm room/bathroom right now:

but then again, i'm nearly obsessive-compulsive about my cleaning. i have the cleanest, neatest room in the building.