Staphylococcus aureus bacteria — or “staph” is a major cause of infection. Decades ago a strain of staph emerged in hospitals that was resistant to the broad-spectrum antibiotics commonly used to treat it. Known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), it was one of the first bacterial resistant superbugs to develop resistance to all but the most powerful drugs. The potent antibiotic vancomycin (Vancocin) was a reliable last defense against severe infections caused by staphylococcus and enterococcus bacteria. But superbugs have figured out how to resist even vancomycin. A strain of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) first appeared in the late 1980s and has thrived ever since. Scientists now worry that VRE not only will continue to multiply but will share its genetic secrets for survival with other bacteria.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 11th, 2007 at 8:37 am and is filed under Eliminate MRSA & VRE. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.