Perilous Bug Is Creeping Onto the Streets

[BigBearJohn]

Drug-resistant staph infections, once largely confined to hospitals, are far more common in the general population than previously thought, according to a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

In previous research, the drug-resistant strain was found to cause painful skin lesions that resembled infected spider bites, a deadly lung disease known as necrotizing pneumonia, and toxic-shock syndrome — a type of blood poisoning that can be fatal.


But doctors outside of hospitals typically don't look for drug-resistant staph, and therefore don't order lab tests to verify the strain. Instead, they routinely prescribe ineffective antibiotics, sometimes leading to more severe illnesses and even deaths.


In a separate article in the journal, researchers reported that they have linked drug- resistant staph infections to a rare, often-deadly disease known as necrotizing fasciitis, or more commonly, "flesh eating" syndrome

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