Super Bug Infects Ten on College Football Team

MRSA, the initials for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococus Aureus, is a staph bacterium that can be spread from one person to another through casual contact or through contaminated objects. According to the Journal of American Medical Association, infections with MRSA are more difficult to treat than ordinary Staph infections because these strains of bacteria are resistant to many types of antibiotics—the medicines used to treat bacterial infections. Infections can occur in wounds, burns, and other sites where tubes have been inserted into the body. Typically found among hospital patients, MRSA has recently infected scores of healthy individuals outside the medical setting.

This week, dozens of cases from coast to coast among healthy individuals have been reported, raising concern among medical professionals and the general public. The latest is a cluster of incidents among members of the Westchester County-based Iona College football team, where nine players and the coach are reported to have been infected. All members of the squad are said to have recuperated. Earlier in the week, a healthy high school athlete from Virginia died from the Super Bug infection.

For years, medical researchers have warned that drug resistant strains of bacteria could pose a major threat. The MSRA Super Bug case is the first incident that has caused widespread infection as well as widespread attention.

Experts point to the over-prescribing of antibiotic drugs as well as the increased use of anti bacterial cleaning products as culprits in the evolution of the MSRA Super Bug.

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