MRSA Notes

An 18 yr old Indiana teenager has suffered a life threatening necrotizing fasciitis infection, resulting in the removal of one of her breasts, after a nipple piercing. It should be noted that the teenager was also diabetic.

Dr. Robert Goulet Jr., a professor at the Indiana University Cancer Center, said the piercing created an entry [...]

Steve Rubel has a very interesting post from yesterday referencing a study (by PewInternet.org) of how people search for medical information on the internet. The biggest concerns were that people were finding their information from outdated and unreliable sources.

Just 15% of health seekers say they “always” check the source and date of the health [...]

Is that possible? Not really - but the Fake Doctor, from Ah Yes, Medical School, has prepared a little humorous quiz for his readers, and yes, it involves MRSA. What does the White House have to do with MRSA? Check it out and see. (But, let it be known I am not [...]

Kudos to Dr. Paul Auerback, who addresses MRSA in his blog, Medicine for the Outdoors. His post gives general information about MRSA infections and expresses his concern about where they originate:

The situation has taken a turn for the worse, because doctors are now seeing MRSA infections that are acquired outside of the hospital. These [...]

Like many other athletic groups across the country, the Boston Celtics have had their own battle with MRSA. Paul Pierce and Delonte West have both had recent infections and yesterday the Celtics announced “the organization has sustained a small bacterial infection issue.” They go on to say that they are “aggressively undertaking steps [...]

Warning to the weak - this video is disgusting - and as it is running backwards, I am not sure what to tell you is going on, other than this is a healing MRSA infection on a mans lip. Do not watch it if you are easily grossed out:

I warned ya! Remember those things I [...]

Much ado has been made lately about Surgical Site Infections (SSI’s) and how they are one of the most commonly reported nosocomial (healthcare-acquired) infections. Dr. Robert Penn has been doing his own research on them, trying to discover what can be done to lower the rates of infection. Good for him!! He [...]

At their annual Skin Academy, the American Academy of Dermatology’s, Dr. Sandra M. Johnson spoke about the importance of teaching your small children proper skin care habits that will last them a lifetime. Along with much discussion of bug bites, warts, inflamation and other skin conditions that are frequently found in children, Dr. Johnson [...]

Strange stuff coming down the pipeline in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. I am not quite sure if this is a truly amazing discovery, or if times are getting desperate. LOL
Artificial peptides are being produced by scientists, using basic grammar rules to manipulate the genetic code, and improve and change their ability to [...]

 
Professor Nick White is giving a lecture on Monday, November 20th at London’s Natural History Museum on MRSA and other bacterial and viral “plagues.” About the lecture, from the museum’s site:

SARS, MRSA, bird flu, HIV… one way or another, we’re all doomed. That’s if you believe recent media reports. So what is the truth? [...]

Panton-Valentine Leukocidin is the toxic waste left behind by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria in some cases. This is often the cytotoxin that leads to TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome) as well as necrotizing fasiitis. PVL is most often found in CA-MRSA, but has been found in MSSA (Methicillin Susceptable Staph aureus) on occasion.
This journal article [...]

Did you notice I was absent for a few days? I had a major computer malfunction - well really a major home malfunction: a lightening bolt hit way-too-close-for-comfort, and killed my computer (right through the surge supressor) and our phone lines. At least it didn’t kill us! Anyway, the point of [...]

A reporter is looking for HA-MRSA (hospital acquired MRSA) patients in the state of Missouri. If you happen to be interested in tellng your story and you fit the criteria, please email me at christina@b5media.com, and I will get you in touch with the right people.
Remember, getting your story out there is a [...]

Hibiclens has done a fantastic job revamping their website, and they are working very hard to promote MRSA awareness. I am a HUGE fan of Hibiclens, and recommend it to everyone I know who has been in touch with MRSA.
A representative of their company contacted me last week to let me know of [...]

I get letters like this every single day. Not quite as bad as this one every day, but sometimes worse and even more heartbreaking. I often don’t know what to tell these people who are suffering so, and having a hard time getting the proper response from their medical team. So, this [...]

If you seek a basic understanding of how the overuse of antibiotics have cause this havoc, and how what was once the miracle of science has cause a scourge of virulence, don’t miss this easy to understand editorial by Michael D. Shaw - The Superbugs are Here, Don’t Help Them Along.
Of interest:

Bear in [...]

Haddonfield Memorial High School is the second school in South New Jersey to do battle with MRSA in their athetic facilities recently, with a reported 8 players infected as of late last week.
Haddonfield MHS has presented this MRSA factsheet on their website to help parents and members of the community with some basic information about [...]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Thousands of infection prevention and control professionals throughout the world will participate in week-long activities commemorating International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW) being held October 16-22, 2006, highlighting their daily dedication to the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections.
The annual event, initiated by President Ronald Reagan in 1986, is spearheaded by the Association [...]

When reading this editorial at the Charleston Daily Mail, regarding testing patients for MRSA as they enter the hospital, I really just wonder why the hospitals would do that before they would consider cleaning themselves up. There isn’t much point in knowing if a patient has it when he comes in to the hospital, [...]

The Today show visited a cosmetic counter recently, and took samples of the area, and were pretty horrified at what they found. All manner of bacteria in, on, and around the tester products, and with just a visual inspection, were surprised to see the number of people who didn’t bother to use the available [...]

Here is a shocking report that says that MRSA is more likely to be transmitted to a patient when the rooms previous patient had MRSA.

`I would take that information and be concerned that we weren’t doing a good enough job cleaning between our patients,” Lance Peterson, an infection control specialist for Evanston Northwestern Healthcare in [...]

I am a supplement taking fool. Really, I am. I believe in the importance of getting all of the things your body needs to function properly, whether you get it from a perfect diet (mine is NOT), or not. Probiotics are something that I include in my diet every day as well, [...]

 
The Germ Zapper is a new product out for instant hand sanitation - its benefits are that it is safer, because it is non-toxic and non-flammable. They are marketing this product to schools and health care facilities as a safer alternative to the current hand sanitizers. My favorite thing about this line (well, [...]

The University of Hong Kong’s Infectious Disease Center is reporting that MRSA cases have risen dramatically - from 3 in 2004 to already 26 this year (2006). MRSA infections are not yet reportable in Hong Kong, but the Infectous Disease Center is putting pressure on the government to make it so.

Raymond Yung Wai-hung, head [...]

British actress, Leslie Ash, had a much publicized battle with MRSA two years ago, and This Is London has a bit of an update on her condition, along with this photograph of Leslie before her infection (bottom) and at present:

An onlooker said, “She looked as though she was having difficulty walking. She wasn’t using the [...]

Canadian corporation Ondine Biopharma has received CE Mark approval for the use of its new Photodynamic Disinfection System:

The Photodynamic Disinfection system developed by Ondine utilizes low-intensity lasers and wavelength-specific, light-activated compounds to specifically target and destroy microbial pathogens and reduce the symptoms of disease. The compounds are generally topically applied and one or more lasers [...]

This month, our channel-wide theme is the mission statement for our sites . We have a good many different sites in the Science & Health Channel - and I bet you will find as you read through them, most of our missions are pretty different. I could simply say that my mission here is to [...]

Don’t miss this article in the Globe and Mail by Andrew Nikiforuk, the author of Pandemonium: Bird Flu, Mad Cow Disease and Other Biological Plagues of the 21st Century. In the article, Andrew addresses the rise of antibiotic resistant infections primarily in Canada, but also in North America. Especially notable to me is the inclusion [...]

Also presented at the ICAAC conference was research on the use of reusable examination gloves, treated with a combination of chlorhexadine (Peridex) and a brilliant green dye - the combination is known as Gardine and is an antiseptic rather than an antibiotic. This is preliminary research from the University of Texas (gig ‘em, Ags [...]

Targanta presented the Phase III studies of its lead product, Oritavancin, at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC). The findings “show significant promise in combating a critical public health issue:”
The gory details of the study and presentation can be found here, and here is a little more about Oritavancin for us [...]

At the end of pre-season training, MRSA has reared its ugly head among several Harvard varsity football players. Symptoms ranged from rashes to larger boils requiring hospitalization:
“The guy who had it before me got it on his calf and it sort of swelled up. I got it on my foot and it swelled up [...]