MRSA Notes

Researchers are always looking for a new way to fight off these nasty bacteria. There is a very fine line between killing bacteria that are invading your body systems, and killing your body systems themselves. Therein lies the rub.
Hot on the heels of the protein research done at the University of Missouri [...]

A University of Missouri-Kansas City researcher has discovered an important element of how Staphylococcus aureus disables the body’s immune system. Normally, when a threating bacteria enters the body, the body sends immune system protiens that break into smaller protiens and trigger the body’s further immune system defense. Staph bacteria produces a protien calle [...]

We have heard lots about the antimicrobial properties of silver this past year, how it is being used on artificial body parts, and in pajamas to help kill MRSA, and now copper has the eye of the researchers. It is being trialed in a hospital in the UK, on door handles, faucets and fixtures [...]

The newest tool in the fight against bad bugs, viruses and other nasty critters is this Nano-UV Portable Disinfection Light. UV light is a widely used and accepted form of disinfection, but this is very new to have it in use in such a portable way. This is what they say about it:

Proven [...]

I think the most important thing is that I can’t remember the last time I saw a staph infection that wasn’t MRSA

-Dr. Gal Mayer, medical director at the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center
Just like in the general populus, MRSA is growing rapidly amongst gay men in NYC. Gay City News has a very good article [...]

I hate to hear this, but some folk’s favorite remedy for MRSA/Staph boils - tea tree oil (aka melaleuca oil) - has been proven to cause antibiotic resistance. What this means for you is that if tea tree oil has been doing a bang up job healing your infections, it won’t last forever. [...]

In a study released in December, but being widely discussed this week, researchers from the University of Arizona swabbed the offices and personal items of 59 women and 54 men in several large cities for various germs, including MRSA.
The top 3 germiest places in the office for women were:

Makeup cases

Phones

Purses

And for men:

Wallets (the number [...]

Researchers have been looking for specific risk factors for CA-MRSA, meaning that they are looking at lifestyle, locations and any activities that have been done by CA-MRSA patients that could be the basis for their infections. They have found none.

“What this means”, says Dr. Miller, “is that the average Joe or Jane can [...]

One of my long time readers, and a phage therapy advocate, sent me the link to this wonderful video about the state of phage therapy, and how it works. Phage therapy was used before the widespread use of antibiotics, and is only practiced in a few clinics in the world, and none in the [...]

I have mentioned bacteriophages and phage therapy a number of different times over the time I have been writing about MRSA, but it seems to be finding its way into my life more than normal lately, via questions from MRSA patients and caregivers and articles of late. I hope this slight increase in buzz [...]