May 29, 2007

Hospital Study Shows Steep Rise in Antibiotic-Resistant Staph

TUESDAY, May 29 (HealthDay News) -- Between 2000 and 2005, Chicago's Cook County Hospital system experienced a nearly sevenfold increase in the incidence of cases of antibiotic-resistant staph infections acquired in the community and not in health care facilities, a new study finds.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections do not respond to standard antibiotic treatment and can be deadly. Typically, these infections develop in patients in hospitals and other health care settings. However, in 1998, a community-associated MRSA emerged worldwide, according to background information in the study.

Risk factors for CA-MRSA include being in prison/jail; playing certain sports; intravenous drug use; overcrowded housing; tattooing; and poor hygiene.

In this study, published in the May 28 issue of the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers from Rush University Medical Center and John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County analyzed tissue, fluid and bone cultures at Cook County Hospital and associated clinics.

"The incidence of CA-MRSA skin and soft tissue infections increased from 24 cases per 100,000 people in 2000 to 164.2 cases per 100,000 people in 2005," the study authors wrote.

They said it's unclear why CA-MRSA has emerged at such a rapid rate, so "an understanding of factors promoting acquisition and emergence of CA-MRSA may aid in the development of prevention strategies."

More information

The MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia has more about MRSA.

-- Robert Preidt
SOURCE: JAMA/Archives journals, news release, May 28, 2007
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