9:04am: Today, the MRSAid team is live-blogging from the AMMI-CACMID annual conference. If you are one of Canada’s top clinical microbiologists or infectious disease specialists, this is THE place to be. We’re very excited to be attending this conference for the first time, and can’t wait to speak w/ some of the top professionals in the country.
10:18am: The AMMI-CACMID conference is meant to bring together students and professionals in the areas of microbiology, antimicrobial stewardship, infectious diseases, infection prevention and control, and public health. Judging by the turnout at the opening lecture, they’ve certainly done a great job bringing these people together. Just check out the packed room!
10:42am: Lectures this morning have been incredibly interesting and it is clear from the talks that MRSA problem is not going away. In fact, MRSA colonization rates in high-risk patients have been as high as 15%! Read More
Everyone is looking for a better way to save these kids. Every kid we take care of, it’s like our own child; that’s why we were here - Dr. John Bradley, Chief of Infectious Disease at Rady Children’s Hospital
A Carmel Valley private school was closed last month due to the possibility of one of the students having a MRSA infection. All campus activities were shut down and classes cancelled on a Thursday afternoon until being reopened the following Monday. It was suspected a female student returning from a retreat that very day to the school had potentially been infected. A letter posted on the campus website announced that the private school would be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized by trained personnel. “We feel that we are best serving the interests and well-being of our students, families and employees by taking this precaution.”
According to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MRSA rates have been on the decline in hospital settings in the last decade while community-acquired cases have increased a notable degree. Just ten years ago MRSA infections were very rare in San Diego, but as Dr. John Bradley points out, the disease is becoming more “resistant and more virulent than ever.” MRSA infections can take the outward appearance of physically damaged skin: painful red areas, a raised bump, abscesses and open sores. MRSA can also induce symptoms of fever and chills. Early detection and treatment, especially in children, reduces the potential severity MRSA as it can be life-threatening and often lead to limb amputation. The invasive cases are extremely dangerous as they can cause a child to die within a few days.
We’ve blogged in the past about MRSA being found on grocery meat in Detroit. Now, the same problem is occurring in Iowa, Minnesota, and New Jersey. A a recent study published this past January revealed that 64% of pork samples from grocery stores in these areas were contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus. Of these, more than 6% tested positive for MRSA, the drug-resistant strain of Staph.
Tara Smith, an epidemiologist at the University of Iowa and one of the study’s contributing authors notes the uncertainty of the source of contamination. The molecular typing from these samples are shown as a combination of both “human” and “pig” strains. This suggests that the bacteria may be from both the farm and the people who handle the products.
As most of you know, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most deadly and resistant strains of Staph bacteria. According to the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention, more than 90,000 people develop a serious MRSA infection every year and up to 20% of the infected population die. Of those that survive, many face incredibly difficult recovery periods that often involve more medication and surgery. Read More
Our MRSAid™ Photodisinfection procedure has been well received at VGH and represents a promising approach to improve patient safety in other healthcare facility settings… Photodisinfection (is) ideal for hospital settings as it eliminates the need for patient compliance as it can be administered just prior to surgery- Carolyn Cross, Chairman and CEO of Ondine.
Less than a year ago, Vancouver General Hospital implemented the MRSAid™ Photodisinfection System as part of a year-long infection control Quality Improvement Project. Since then, we are very pleased to announce that we have treated over 2,500 patients, making this one of the largest PDT studies in the world. The project is being undertaken with the objective of reducing the incidence of surgical site infections in selected surgical populations.
Many people do not know that the nose is the primary site for bacteria colonization. The average person touches their nose more than 100 times a day, and if they touch their nose and then touch their surgical site, they are at risk of giving themselves an infection that was completely preventable. Many studies have demonstrated a significant reduction in surgical site infections after nasal decolonization of both Staph and MRSA. It is therefore critical to continue the development of non-antibiotic treatments that eliminate potentially deadly bacteria from the nose.
We have a new video! Three fantastic nurses describe how MRSAid works & how it can help prevent surgical site infections. In a report from the CDC, of the over 1.7 million healthcare-associated infections occurring annually, surgical site infections are one of the most predominant infections (290,485).* Watch the video below to learn how MRSAid can change the process of controlling healthcare-associated infections.
*Scott RD, CDC. The Direct Medical COsts of Healthcare-Associated Infections in US Hospitals and the Benefits of Prevention, March 2009.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), is quickly becoming a widespread threat to athletes in all sports. MRSA is a bacterium that has developed resistance to most common antibiotics and usually colonizes the nose. This antibiotic resistant bacteria has crossed over into the athletic world. MRSA is quickly becoming a widespread threat to athletes in all sports. Bacterial infections in athletes are quite common, and they inhibit their ability to compete and perform at their best. The fact that MRSA has become increasingly resistant to antibiotics creates a serious problem for both athletes and doctors since effective treatment options will be further limited.
Many of the first MRSA infections in athletes were reported in football. Many college teams have had major difficulties controlling the spread of the bacteria, which is usually through person to person contact. The New England Journal of Medicine published a study that linked MRSA in athletes to the abrasions caused by artificial turf [1]. In addition, the State Department of Health in Texas did three studies and found that football players were 16 times more likely to be infected than the national average [2]. Sport players in football, wrestling, and soccer are among at highest risk of spreading the bacteria due to the constant bumping, hitting and direct contact with teammates and opponents. These sports also have more exposed skin and open wounds when practicing or competing. Wounds such as turf burn abrasions, fingernail scratches or a small open blister allow the bacteria to cause an infection. In addition, direct contact with contaminated towels or equipment can further spread the bacteria. Once an infection develops in an athlete, it can quickly spread through the team and to opponents. Read More
The allure of getting all inked up is ever present as permanent tats are flaunted on the arms of bikers and sailors to that of yogi masters and sorority girls. However, the idea of a painful, oozing, serious, and even sometimes fatal skin infection is not. It is possible to sustain a MRSA infection after getting a tattoo. Even though it is rare, infection is possible when there is a break in the actual skin –Streptococcus and Staphylococcus are the two types of bacteria that can cause skin infections.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease and Control (CDC), there have been 44 cases reported thus far that show a correlation between MRSA infections and tattoos. This data was taken from 2004 and 2005, and it is likely there are even more cases that have gone unreported. The cases that were examined showed that the tattoos had been done by 13 different tatoo artists across the U.S that lacked standard sterilization technique. Just about every single person who sustained a MRSA infection was healthy and did not possess any risk factors that would make them attractive candidates for MRSA infection.
Just about anyone who gets a tattoo is at risk for contracting an infection, this is even more so when dealing with dangerous superbugs such as MRSA. MRSA is able to colonize the body of a carrier while showing no signs of poor health. In many cases, the carrier may not be aware that they have spread the bacteria through skin to skin contact, especially when it involves the surface of skin being broken. Read More
There are several companies which offer rapid diagnostic tests for a drug-resistant staph infection known as MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), one of the most common superbugs found in hospitals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that MRSA affects 90,000 Americans each year, killing about 18,000.
Rapid diagnosis of MRSA enables a healthcare facility to quickly determine if a new patient is colonized with MRSA and would enable intervention measures to be deployed more quickly. Rapid diagnosis is expected to therefore reduce the spread of MRSA to other patients via healthcare workers who are seen to be the usual vector of transmission across the healthcare facilities. Deployment measures would include isolation chambers, full gown & glove protocols, hand washing before and after patient visits etc. An additional use of MRSA diagnostics is the opportunity to apply intervention measures to prevent surgical site infections since MRSA carriers run the risk of self-infection once their bodies are immuno-compromised after a surgery.
It has become increasingly clear that MRSA is a significant health challenge for the present and the future. Not only does it kill more people each year than AIDS in the US, but it is also a significant source of unnecessary patient pain and suffering. In Britain, the National Health Service has recorded a spike in contamination and infection rates, going from 2% in 1990, to 43% in 2002.
One of places currently undergoing major transitions in order to adapt to the growing problem of MRSA is the hospital environment. Here, the key element is the staff responsible for day-to-day operations concerning MRSA, namely, the health personnel. Previous studies done in this area have tended to ascribe the high incidence of MRSA infection in hospitals to a lack of staff knowledge on the subject. However, this theory has proved insufficient.
In a 2011 study, Elizabeth Morrow, Peter Griffiths, G. Gopal Rao, and Debbie Flaxman examined the relationship between infection control and the attitudes of hospital staff. More specifically, attitudes that tended to attribute the causes of MRSA to forces outside the hospital (such as senior care centers, communities, etc) or to incontrollable conditions within the hospital itself. Read More
The rapidly escalating human suffering and loss of life from MRSA in the United States and in other countries needs to be recognized and an immediate international response for prevention, awareness and education is imperative. – MRSA Survivors Network, Jeanine Thomas
World MRSA Day takes place this Saturday, October 1. The third annual world MRSA Day kickoff event and Global MRSA Summit will be held at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Maywood, Illinois.
October has been coined World MRSA Awareness Month in hopes that the title would generate substantial awareness on the global crisis. Challenging the status of global inaction and educating the public on the current MRSA situation are the main objectives for the special date, and the theme for the year of 2011 is “The MRSA Epidemic: A Call to Action.” Jeanine Thomas, the founder and president of MRSA Survivor’s Network created World MRSA day in 2009 and stands as its official organizer. Another goal of World MRSA Day is to raise awareness about MRSA on a global scale, while reaching out to MRSA survivors, communities, governments, and healthcare professionals for their ability to educate others and prevent the spread of this superbug.
It is necessary to draw attention to the rising prevalence and serious implications of MRSA. A study released this year shows the rise of MRSA infections in the U.S. from 2.9 million to 4.2 million throughout the period of 2009 – 2015. Over the same time period, skin infection treatment days are slated to rise from 20 million to 30 million, with an annual toll of $9.5 billion for the U.S. The number of deaths resulting from MRSA have now become greater than the deaths caused by HIV / AIDS per year in the United States. Despite these startling facts, there has been little discussion or significant acknowledgement from American health officials on the MRSA problem. Read More
0 Comments 
