Bugged about super bugs

Winnipeg - Super-bugs are growing in numbers in Canadian hospitals, way beyond estimation, raising concern among health experts.

George Zhanel, primary investigator in the study said, "The stark reality in this country today is that MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) and other drug-resistant bacteria are posing a serious threat in our ICUs (intensive care units). People infected with these super bugs are more likely to have longer hospital stays and require multiple drug treatments to fight them off and even then, it's often too little, too late."

The study investigated nearly 4,000 samples taken from 19 intensive care units in Canadian hospitals. The examination revealed that 20 to 50 percent of staphylococcus aureus bacteria, which is a major cause of wound and skin infections, was not responding to the antibiotic methicillin.

Research has indicated that if antibiotics are used at the appropriate time, they prove to be effective against a variety of super bugs. Treatment measures can resort to broad-spectrum antibiotics till such time the key bacteria is identified, the researchers opined. The study also indicated, though most super bug infections are contracted in hospitals, yet the infection is also found in athletes, soldiers and intravenous drug users who suffer treatment-resistant skin infections and pneumonia.

Source: Medindia
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