Could MRSA Become the Black Death of the 21st Century?

An epidemic is quietly growing on the skin of otherwise healthy people and showing up daily in the back pages of local newspapers all over the Globe. The bug MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) was once confined to hospitals but has crept into the community and is striking frequently in settings like football locker rooms.

In a recent, frightening case in the from Virginia, a healthy 26 year old man became ill with what he thought was the flu. Within four days of showing symptoms the man was on the verge of death. Upon admission to the hospital he had eight heart attacks within four hours. The infection damaged a heart valve which led to a stroke leaving him partially paralyzed and both of his legs were later amputated .

On our front page we linked to a story of a high school football player from Grove City, OH who was hospitalized with a "mystery illness". He had originally been infected with MRSA on his foot. The mystery illness was a complication of the original infection and became so severe that doctors induced a coma in order to try to save the boy. As a precaution the school's locker room was disinfected.

MRSA is a bacteria that has gradually become more and more resistant to penicillin. It is often found in the nostrils but can colonize elsewhere both inside and outside the human body. Often boils or abscesses form which must be lanced or drained in order to be treated. MRSA is called a superbug and is becoming more and more prevalent in the community. We suggest you keep your eye on this quietly emerging pandemic of a bug that is becoming increasingly difficult to treat with antibiotics.