October 25, 2007 - Infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are becoming more common and deadly, and not just in hospitals where the incidence of MRSA has already been documented, according to a new study led by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Most drug-resistant staph infections are mild skin infections. But this study focused on the invasive infections that enter the bloodstream or destroy flesh. The researchers estimated that there were 94,360 cases of invasive MRSA in the United States in 2005, resulting in more than 18,000 deaths. Nearly 14 percent of the cases were not associated with health care facilities. Senior citizens were most vulnerable, and blacks were more likely than whites to be infected.

Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study underscores the need to develop new antibiotics and curb the unnecessary use of those already available. Researchers note that patients should be treated with the few remaining effective drugs before they develop serious complications.

Several Institute of Medicine reports discuss microbial resistance. The Resistance Phenomenon in Microbes and Infectious Disease Vectors examines microbial resistance as a health threat, including the case of MRSA. Microbial Threats to Health: Emergence, Detection, and Response calls for an upgrade to America’s health infrastructure in order to quickly track and respond to such evolving microbial threats. In addition, IOM’s Forum on Microbial Threats published a workshop summary – Ending the War Metaphor: The Future Agenda for Unraveling the Host-Microbe Relationship – that challenged the current eradication approach to infectious disease management and control, which has contributed to the rise of antimicrobial resistance in microorganisms.

• The Resistance Phenomenon in Microbes and Infectious Disease Vectors: Implications for Human Health and Strategies for Containment -- Workshop Summary (2003)
• Microbial Threats to Health: Emergence, Detection, and Response (2003)
• Ending the War Metaphor: The Future Agenda for Unraveling the Host-Microbe Relationship (2006)

• CDC Web site on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
• Study in JAMA