The Superbug: True Horror Stories?

Published October 30, 2007

By Nate Bradbury

Late October brings with it a healthy dose of fright. Try as you might, it is unusual for the capers and fright surrounding Halloween to be isolated in one night. Many students will have already celebrated All Hallows Eve by the time they read this. They will also be blissfully unaware of the deadly pandemic-in-waiting that may be sweeping the nation.

Tales of a deadly, new strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are popping up across the country. In the past two weeks, school districts in six states (including Pennsylvania and northern New York) have faced sick and possibly dying students, frightened parents, and school closings. More cases could have gone unreported. This could be the plague for the 21st century.

Reported cases of MRSA (pronounced mer-sah) and the frantic responses in numerous school districts give the impression that America is facing a plague of biblical proportions. Realistically, these bacterial infections are becoming more common, are potentially fatal, and they are marked by wild misconceptions.

There is no reason for panic. However, as students at UVM it is important to be aware of the Community-Associated strain of MRSA ( CA-MRSA) that has been identified in young (average age: 23) populations that “share close quarters or experience more skin-to-skin contact”. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the study that accurately described the population of most college students.

On the other hand, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported:

-Approximately 1% of the country carries MRSA (roughly 3,000,000)
-Last year almost 19,000 people died from MRSA-related causes
-12% of the cases reported were CA-MRSA (the one you should be worried about)
-Studies indicate that the number of infections is rising extremely rapidly in certain populations
-Researchers stress that antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been present since the inception of antibiotic treatments

These numbers are somewhat shocking. Death from MRSA-related bacteria is becoming relatively common and one of the largest risk groups (college students) is largely unaware. Here at The Water Tower, we aren’t trying to tell you how to live your lives but here are a few helpful tips from the Mayo Clinic:

-Avoid sharing personal items (towels, sheets, razors)
-Keep open cuts and scrapes covered
-Wash your towels and bed linens
-Wash your hands more frequently
-Get tested

Not many population groups share closer quarters or experience more skin-to-skin contact than the college student demographic.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can be a dangerous bacterial infection because it is resistant to certain types of antibiotics. It rapidly adapts to the changing spectrum of modern antibiotics and forces researchers to keep pace. Treatment can be difficult because the bacteria resist penicillin and a significant variety of other “-cillin-based” antiobiotics. MRSA is characterized by skin infections, boils, and abscesses.

Nearly a third of all people carry tamer strains of common “ staph” bacteria. Sickness and health problems only arise if the bacteria manage to get into the human bloodstream (most often this occurs through a cut). These infections are commonly associated with post-operative treatment in hospitals. While they can be dangerous, these types of staph infections do not present a threat to the general populace.

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