In 1994, a bestseller titled "The Hot Zone" sparked national interest in "superbugs," viruses and bacteria against which the human body is nearly defenseless and for which no effective treatment exist. In the book, the ebola virus was the threat, a so-called hemhorragic fever that killed a tremendous percentage of those infected in a horrific manner.

The book sold millions of copies and spawned movies and even a short-lived TV show. Not since Michael Crichton's "The Andromeda Strain" had the general public been so frightened of something invisible to the naked eye.

MRSA Infection | Attack Of Superbugs

Ebola, however, remained an empty threat as far as the United States was concerned. While there are still outbreaks in Africa, the only strain of ebola to appear in the U.S., Ebola-Reston, is thus far dangerous only to monkeys.

Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, is a far different story. It is present in the general population, is more easily transmissible than ebola and can be found in common places and situations. While it is treatable, MRSA is a bona fide superbug that shows no inclination toward disappearing.

What Is MRSA?

Staph is one of the most common skin bacteria. Approximately 25 to 30 percent of the general population is colonized by staph in the nose, meaning the bacteria are present but not actively causing any infection. According to Jennifer Morcone, a representative for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some types of staph have grown drug-resistant since the invention of penicillin and other antibiotics, making them more difficult to treat. MRSA is one of these resistant strains.

In a health-care environment, MRSA is a deadly threat. It infects surgical patients and anyone who has undergone an invasive procedure or has a weakened immune system. According to the CDC, MRSA in health-care settings commonly causes serious and potentially life-threatening infections such as bloodstream infections, surgical site infections or pneumonia.

It is an opportunistic infection, attacking those who are already weakened and making their situations worse. In other community settings, MRSA is less serious at its onset but can become very much so if ignored.

The first-line antibiotics, Morcone said, the ones originally used to treat staph and many other bacterial infections, have largely been rendered useless. Bacteria, like all living things, adapt to threats in their environment. Over the decades, they have to varying degrees become resistant to treatment. According to the CDC, approximately 1 percent of the general population is colonized with MRSA.

Methicillin is one of a class of antibiotics called beta-lactams, which also includes amoxicillin, penicillin and oxacillin. Newer, more powerful and expensive antibiotics must be used to combat MRSA, but according to Morcone it's critically important that the right drug, rather than just the most potent one, be used.

MRSA was once primarily found in health-care settings such as hospitals and clinics. In the last few years it has begun to show up in sports teams, prisons, military recruits, as well as other groups such as Native Americans and men who have sex with other men.

In Great Britain between 1992 and 2002, the percentage of staph infections that were methicillin resistant increased from 3 percent to 43 percent. According to the CDC, in the United States the percentage of all drug-resistant staph strains, including MRSA, increased from 2 percent to 63 percent of the total cases.

What Are The Symptoms?

MRSA is primarily a skin infection. It shows up in non-health-care-related cases primarily as pimples and boils, which may swell and become inflamed to the point that they require lancing by a doctor.

Very serious cases of MRSA can cause pneumonia and bloodstream infections, so it is important to seek medical attention if you have a skin infection that is red, swollen, painful and has pus or other drainage. It may not be MRSA, but it's important to find out.

How Is MRSA Transmitted?

According to Morcone, MRSA is transmitted primarily through skin-to-skin contact. It is not airborne, so coughing and sneezing will not spread it. It can be carried on towels and clothing, so it's important to take simple cleanliness steps to keep yourself safe.

Frequent handwashing, especially after any activity involving close contact with others, is one of the best protections against infection. Avoid sharing towels and personal care items.

Wounds are open doors through the protective outer layers of your skin, so it is very important that open wounds be kept clean and covered with clean bandages that are changed frequently.

What Is The Danger?

Pandemic is a word that gets attached to diseases very frequently. Morcone said it does not apply in the case of MRSA. Because of the method of transmission, a widespread outbreak is considered highly unlikely by the CDC.

That does not mean there is no concern, however. More and more cases are appearing outside health-care settings, and raising public consciousness about the transmission and dangers of MRSA is one of the best ways to fight the spread.

For more information on MRSA, visit the CDC page on MRSA.

Next Week: How to keep antibiotics from becoming obsolete.

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