methicillin-resistant Staph aureus (MRSA) 'superbug' found in ocean, public beaches

[Liberal_in_LA]

MRSA 'superbug' found in ocean, public beaches

By Steve Sternberg, USA TODAY
SAN FRANCISCO — Public beaches may be one source of the surging prevalence of the superbug known as multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, researchers here said Saturday.

A study by researchers at the University of Washington has for the first time identified methicillin-resistant Staph aureus (MRSA) in marine water and beach sand from seven public beaches on the Puget Sound.

The researchers identified Staph bacteria on nine of 10 public beaches that they tested. Seven of 13 Staph aureus samples, found on five beaches, were multidrug resistant, says lead investigator Marilyn Roberts.

----------------------------------------

Curiously, Roberts says, five of the samples found on the beach and in the sand more closely resembled hospital-acquired MRSA than the bacteria found in the community. Three of the samples, from three beaches 10 miles apart, were virtually identical, she says. "One would think they came from the same source," Roberts added.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-09-12-staph-superbug-MRSA-beaches_N.htm