1999 - 2008 - 25-City Study Shows Hospital Admissions Of Kids W. MRSA Up 1000%+

[hatrack]

The number of children hospitalized with dangerous drug-resistant staph infections surged tenfoldin recent years, a study has found. Disease incidence increased from two cases to 21 cases per 1,000 hospital admissions from 1999 to 2008. Most infections were caught in the community, not in the hospital.

The study, which was published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, involved methicillin-resistant staph infections, called MRSA. These used to occur mostly in hospitals and nursing homes, but they are increasingly showing up in other settings among children and adults. Recent evidence suggests hospital-acquired MRSA cases may be declining while community-acquired cases are becoming more common. The results are "a good example of how something that is not unexpected remains alarming," said Dr. Buddy Creech, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University who was not involved in the study.

The study involved 25 children's hospitals; the tenfold increase in hospitalizations probably occurred nationwide, said Dr. Jason Newland, the lead author and an infectious disease physician at Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City, Mo., and the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Almost 30,000 children were hospitalized with MRSA infections at the hospitals studied during the 10-year period. Most had skin or muscle infections, and 374 of them died. Although Newland said it isn't clear if MRSA caused those deaths, it can be deadly and is blamed for more than 18,000 deaths in children and adults nationwide each year.

EDIT

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-staph-20100517,0,5579892.story

[Warpy]

1. Shoe covers and scrub privileges

would have confined this to the hospitals. I knew every time I cared for an MRSA patient that I was tracking bugs and spores out of the hospital, but there was nothing I could do about it since those shoe covers cost money the hospital didn't want to pay. Even though we covered our uniforms, we knew they were likely contaminated by the time we left and shoved them right into the washer, but that doesn't mean our car seats or public transportation didn't pick it up on the way.

Cost cutting will kill us all yet.

[phantom power]

2. "scrub privileges" == ?

[Warpy]

3. That means changing from street clothes to scrubs before the shift

and changing back out of them at the end of the shift, the hospital does the laundering.

It's another way not to take contamination out into the community.

Some countries with evil old socialized medicine do this and it makes more sense and has kept their non hospital acquired superbugs minimal.

Unfortunately, it's too late for us to do that. When MRSA is also resistant to vancomycin, maybe we'll start. Then again, bean counters are still in charge, so the public will be sacrificed to saving a few bucks then, too.

[Statistical]

4. Sounds like a very good idea for a variety of reasons.

Still it won't end w/ MRSA if we keep doing the "same ole same ole" we will have a hundred things like drug resistant MRSA in another decade.

[phantom power]

5. Let us all welcome our new Post Antibiotic Age

:banghead:

[hatrack]

6. I, for one, welcome our new Pathogen Overlords

Gosh, who could POSSIBLY have foreseen something like this happening?!?!

[NNadir]

8. I could tell some very amusing medicinal chemistry stories about this one, except they're really not

funny.

The worst is strains that are known that are both MSRA and vancomycin resistant.

A more interesting case is the rapid evolution of RNA viruses to anti-viral agents. The most frightening of these are the HIV mutants.

[pscot]

7. Shhhh!

Someone might hear you.

[tiptoe]

9. Rising cases of MRSA in children paralleling rising cases of Autism - x

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=222x87095

[depakid]

10. Platypus to the rescue!

The platypus has several potent anti-microbial proteins.
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The platypus could hold the key to a medical breakthrough in the treatment of drug-resistant superbugs. Scientists from the Victorian Department of Primary Industries (DPI) have discovered the platypus has several naturally occurring anti-microbial proteins which are 10 times more potent than those currently used in medical treatment.

Anti-microbial proteins are substances similar to antiseptics which can be used to kill off bacteria.

Medical research has been struggling to develop new treatments for superbugs which are rapidly developing resistance to both traditional and new medical treatments. The scientists believe the discovery could be the breakthrough needed to create a new range of natural medicines and treatments for antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.

In announcing the discovery, the Victorian Minister for Agriculture, Joe Helper, says the discovery could have benefits for the treatment of hospital patients. "If we can harness some of this potential we could better protect patients from superbugs, meaning they will recover from surgery faster and spend less time in hospital," he said.

DPI deputy secretary Dr Bruce Kefford says scientists have been investigating how animals have adapted to the harsh Australian climate for several years.

"The scientists were initially investigating the tammar wallaby and discovered some anti-microbial traits. This raised their curiosity and so they turned their attention to the platypus," he said. "After finding the platypus had similar DNA traits to the wallaby they decided to reproduce a number of its proteins in the lab. This led to the discovery of two extremely potent anti-microbes."

Dr Kefford says the unique conditions in Australia could mean this is the only place in the world where they are found.

More: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/06/2892224.htm?section=justin