Killing MRSA with a Virus

[formercia]

'Red Army' virus to combat MRSA
By Clare Murphy
BBC News health reporter

An old-fashioned treatment for bacterial infections which was once found in every Red Army soldier's kit bag is being touted as a new weapon against hospital superbug MRSA.




Red Army soldiers used bacteriophages against gangrene

In the 1930s, a war was on. A new treatment for bacterial infections - antibiotics - was seeking to assert its supremacy over another fledgling therapy - a bacteria-devouring virus called a bacteriophage.

In the West, it was Alexander Fleming's antibiotic which won the day: penicillin was effective and widely available thanks to synthetic production.

The initial euphoria around the bacteriophage as a means of combating what had been incurable conditions subsided and the virus was all but forgotten.

--snip--

[lynnertic]

1. Interesting - you should crosspost to the Health forum

the post will last longer...

[Solly Mack]

2. Much appreciated!

K/R

[sueh]

3. MRSA is what killed my mother 5 years ago.

I hope this helps to cure it for others.

[formercia]

5. A terrible way to die

I can empathize. I've suffered a chronic MRSA infection for over 20 years. The boys infected me as a prank. It should have killed me long ago. I guess my Karma was to be a real pain in the ass.

[DemoTex]

4. My mom spent 8 weeks in hospital with MRSA this Spring.

She had a MRSA (methicillin resistant staph. aureus) abscess on her back and esophageal shingles. She was on IV vancomycin for the MRSA. There is now a VRSA strain out there .. vancomycin resistant.

[greenman3610]

6. VRSA

now that's scary..