Re: New Health Alert: Superbug spread prompts public outreach

cg,

For Staph, even 'cured' is by letting it 'run its course' until the immune
system overcome it.

There are two types of antibiotics - bacteriocidal and bacteriostatic. The
first actually kills the bacterium, the second impedes its replication so as
to slow or stop the progress of an infection until the body's immune system
can overcome it. Bacteriocidals typically kill by interfering with with
protein synthesis in the bacterium in some way. Most, but not all,
bacteriostatics act by inhibiting the synthesis of new bacterial cell wall.

Methicillin is a bacteriostatic, as are all penicillin derivatives.
Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is not only resistant to
penicillins, but to other classes of bacteriostatics as well. The only
bacteriocidal drugs for Staph Aureus that I'm aware-of are Rifampin and
Linezolid (Zyvox). Staph A has been known for quite some time to readily
develop resistance to Rifampin, and was found to have the ability to develop
resistance to Linezolid in 2001.

MRSA is treated by agressive debridement and resection (cutting away any
infected tissue and bone), often packing the resulting cavity with a silver
nitrate product, and concurrent adminsitration of multiple antibiotic drugs.
If those drugs fail, the last resorts of Linezolid and/or Vancomycin are
used.

If you are interested in the specific treatment protocols for MRSA, see
http://www.healthplanofnevada.com/documents/provider%20files/clinical%20guidelines/MRSA%20Guideline%20-%202005%2007.pdf

Allan

--
One asks, many answer, all learn - Plato, on the 'Forum
--
True civility is when every one gives to every other one every right
that they claim for themselves.

"cg" <cgrams007@{removethis}yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:h3vhh35cpqckltc38nb1o5mietre631u0f@xxxxxxxxxx
On Fri, 19 Oct 2007 18:17:36 GMT, TomAldrich@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:


On 19-Oct-2007, cg <cgrams007@{removethis}yahoo.com> wrote:

I was reading the same thing, guess it can easily be kept in check by
washing with soap and water regularly.
Guess they are claiming 18k people a year from this thing.

Add another 5.5k from the UK.

They don't even have a cure for this thing either.

The cure, though it really isn't a cure but a prevention, is to keep
things clean. You'd think hospitals could have managed that but...

Staph infections of one sort or another have been around for a long
time but, until now, the only place you were likely to contract one
was in a hospital.

Years ago I had one of the people I worked with contracted a Staph
infection. He was taking transfused antibiotics for something like
the next year. The infection eventually was vanquished.

If it can't be cured I guess they just let it run its course or do the
have a treatment that will knock it down a little as it runs its
course?

--
cg

"I made my mind up back in Chelsea
When I go, I'm going like Elsie"


.

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