Killer in the Locker Room - Not a joke - methicillin-resistant Staphylococ

[BigBearJohn]

There's a deadly new superbug that targets fit young men, and even the NFL is worried. They're taking precautions. So should you By: Christopher McDougall



If it weren't so real, so tragic, and such a Critical wake-up call, it could be a sick joke: Ricky Lannetti, 21 years old and tough as a truck tire, was killed by a pimple on his butt.



He'd noticed the little welt last fall, when he was dressing for football practice at Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. It was right under the back strap of his jock and getting a little raw, but he sure as hell wasn't going to ask the trainers to look at a pimple, not while other guys were waiting to have real injuries wrapped and taped.



Besides, apart from that, he felt great. As a senior and a starting wide receiver for Lycoming, Lannetti was having the best season of his life: He set a school record with 16 catches in a game, then the following week broke the record for catches in a season. The next Saturday, he snagged five balls as the Warriors won in overtime to advance in the playoffs. The next Saturday, he was dead.



The MRSA "Superbug"

http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article/0,2823,s1-3-67-0-1995,00.html

[frankly_fedup2]

1. Well GREAT! I was just going to get back on my diet and join the gym ...

again. Yeah, that will justify my not working out. (at least in my mind that is).

[DulceDecorum]

4. Link

http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article/0,2823,s1-3-67-0-1995,00.html

MRSA is a SERIOUS problem.
GARLIC kills MRSA.
EAT lots and lots of GARLIC.

[LeftCoast]

6. Garlic DOES NOT kill MRSA

Please do not treat MRSA with garlic. There is very little that will kill MRSA, that's sorta the whole reason everyone is freaking out.

[DulceDecorum]

23. Perhaps, BUT READ THIS ANYWAY.

It is from the BCC
which is much much more reliable than Faux.

Wednesday, 24 December, 2003
The ingredient which gives garlic its distinctive smell is the latest weapon in the battle to beat the hospital "superbug" MRSA.
University of East London researchers found allicin treated even the most antibiotic-resistant strains of the infection.
MRSA (Methecillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) causes an estimated 2,000 deaths in UK hospitals each year.
Researchers are now testing allicin products in a six-month study.
Dr Ron Cutler and his team discovered the effectiveness of allicin in laboratory tests five years ago.
They found it can cure MRSA within weeks.
It is even effective against the newer strains which cannot be treated by the "last line of defence" antibiotics Vancomycin and Glycopeptides.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3344325.stm

Here is the press release from
the University of East London.

Monday 22nd December 2003
Garlic compund is effective against killer MRSA 'Superbugs' - powerful new evidence.

A compound extracted from garlic is effective against even the most antibiotic-resistant strains of MRSA, the killer 'hospital superbug', and can cure patients with MRSA-infected wounds within weeks, according to new research by microbiologist Dr Ron Cutler of the University of East London (UEL).
In a paper to be published in the New Year, Dr Cutler, an expert in the antimicrobial properties of plant extracts, claims that allicin - a compound that occurs naturally in garlic - kills not only established varieties of MRSA, but also destroys the new generation of 'super-superbugs' that have evolved resistance to Vancomycin and Glycopeptides, the powerful antibiotics widely considered to be the last line of defence against MRSA.
http://www.uel.ac.uk/news/press_releases/releases/garlicmrsa.htm

Also:
'Superbug' breakthrough claim
The biogun, which Mr Copus says is the world's first and only electronic antibiotic, has been available for professionals to buy since 1996.
It works by destroying micro-organisms on surfaces such as skin, flesh and dentine with a concentrated stream of electrically-charged air particles.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/wales/3386071.stm
That one I don't know anything about.
I am just throwing it out there for McGuyver.

WHAT IS MRSA?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/ask_doctor/mrsa.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/shouldiworryabout/mrsa.shtml

More about Britain.
Extra links at the bottom.
http://www.nhsexposed.com/nhsincrisis/hospital_acquired_infections/mrsa_the_vampire_super_bug.shtml

NURSING STUDENT LINK
http://www.garlicworld.co.uk/page1.html

Researchers at the Chungshan Medical University Hospital in Taiwan have spent many years investigating the antimicrobial properties of garlic compounds and recent publications in the Journal of Medical Microbiology and the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy show the effectiveness of some compounds against a number of bacteria, and in particular methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
In 2001 the Journal of Medical Microbiology published a paper by Shyh-Ming Tsao and Mei-Chin Yin of the Department of Internal Medicine entitled ‘In-vitro antimicrobial activity of four diallyl sulphides occurring naturally in garlic and Chinese leek oils’. This work reported on the effectiveness of four naturally occurring diallyl sulphides against Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), three Candida species and three Aspergillus species. The results showed that diallyl disulphide, diallyl trisulphide, diallyl tetrasulphide and the oils rich in these sulphides may have a role in the prevention or treatment of infections.

The following year the effectiveness of garlic compounds against antibiotic-resistant bacteria was further strengthened when they published, ‘In vitro activity of garlic oil and four diallyl sulphides against antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae’. (pdf)
In 2003 the same researchers published a more focused piece of work entitled ‘Garlic extract and two diallyl sulphides inhibit methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in BALB/cA mice’ in which they concluded that their ‘data strongly supported the conclusion that garlic extract, diallyl sulphide and diallyl disulphide possessed multiple protective functions against MRSA infection, in which diallyl sulphide and diallyl disulphide could be considered as novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of MRSA infection’.
<snip>

Following on from the work undertaken by Tsao and Yin in Taiwan, microbiologist Dr Ron Cutler of the University of East London (UEL) has undertaken clinical trials in the UK with some degree of success. His research on the laboratory effects of allicin on glycopeptide resistant Staphylococcus aureus (GISA) was presented in part at the Institute of Biomedical Scientists congress in Birmingham, October 2003, and subsequently published in August 2004 the British Journal of Biomedical Science. (Abstract)
http://www.garlicworld.co.uk/page1.html

I may be mistaken,
but at least,
I am not alone in my belief that
GARLIC FIGHTS OFF MRSA.
EAT YOUR GARLIC TODAY.

[nolabels]

24. It does get rid of vampires though

[BigBearJohn]

9. You can always work out at home

[BlueEyedSon]

2. Hey BBJ. copyright rules: 3-4 graph limit. Add a link too!

[BigBearJohn]

3. Oops. Sorry. It was forwarded to me as text. I have no link.

[BrklynLiberal]

5. Article in Men's Health

http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article/0,2823,s1-3-67-0-1995,00.html

[KurtNYC]

7. Essential Oils are being studied

as a remedy for many of these resistant staph germs.

http://www.mercola.com/2005/jan/5/essential_oils.htm

While testing, researchers used 40 essential oils against 10 of the most dangerous and deadly bacteria and fungi. Three of the oils successfully killed:
MRSA
E. coli
Other bacteria and fungi

Researchers proved that any soaps or shampoos made by blending these three oils would be effective over a period of time. Further, hospital staff, doctors and patients can eliminate the spread of MRSA by using products made from these essential oils.

Note: The three oils involved in the study will not be named until a clinical trial has been completed.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[BigBearJohn]

10. That's not what the article says

Is the article wrong?

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/hip/Aresist/ca_mrsa_public.htm

CDC article say:

Are certain people at increased risk for community-associated staph or MRSA infections?

CDC has investigated clusters of CA-MRSA skin infections among athletes, military recruits, children, Pacific Islanders, Alaskan Natives, Native Americans, men
who have sex with men, and prisoners. Factors that have been associated with the spread of MRSA skin infections include: close skin-to-skin contact, openings in the skin such as cuts or abrasions, contaminated items and surfaces, crowded living conditions, and poor hygiene.

How common are staph and MRSA infections?

Staph bacteria are one of the most common causes of skin infection in the United States and are a common cause of pneumonia, surgical wound infections, and bloodstream infections. The majority of MRSA infections occur among patients in hospitals or other healthcare settings; however, it is becoming more common in the community setting. Data from a prospective study in 2003, suggests that 12% of clinical MRSA infections are community-associated, but this varies by geographic region and population.

[ynksnewyork2]

11. Agree

We're in the medical field here too. And you are right, we've had MRSA here for years. It's been successfuly treated with vancomycin though. You can't go into any nursing home without finding a case of MRSA. I'm familiar with the CDC study you're talking about as well. I was at the Fl Keys Hospital in Key West then.

[BigBearJohn]

13. Yes, and there are already some strains resistant to vancomycin

[BrklynLiberal]

12. Thanks for posting. Forwarding to my son who is at the gym all the time

[Lindacooks]

14. Gee. Evolution happening right before our eyes!!

Bacteria mutating to be drug-resistant.

Must be God having a little fun with humanity, since we all know evolution is just a 'theory'

</sarcasm>

[devilgrrl]

15. "Staph has been spread in locker rooms by towel snapping"

Towel snapping... does it every time. When are people going to learn?

[Solly Mack]

16. I've been talking about MRSA on this board for a coupla years now

People who don't take their anti-biotics properly are adding to the problem.
When they bottle tells you to take at a certain time...take at a certain time! And STAY on that schedule!!!!!!!!

When it tells you to take ALL of the damn pills. Take ALL OF THE DAMN PILLS!! You're helping the bug to mutate when you don't follow the RX orders.

And stop asking the doctor for anti-biotics to cure things they were never meant to cure...and you don't need an anti-biotic for every little thing. Let your body fight the small stuff...and use anti-biotics only when absolutely necessary.

Just as overuse is a problem, using them improperly is also a problem.


Stop using so many gd anti-bacterial soap/cleaning products!!!!!!

Soap and water work wonders...

anti-bacterial soaps kill even the good bacteria on the skin..and the good bacteria helps to PROTECT our skin

I've seen some truly bad cases of MRSA....to the point a limb had to be amputated

I don't mean to preach but damn...MRSA is some nasty shit.

[rniel]

17. It's a good thing

I have built my own garage gym.

[gulfcoastliberal]

18. Article says frequent hand washing very helpful preventing this

I always wash my hands frequently every day, and I haven't gotten a cold or flu for over 2 years. It's amazing how often I subconciously scratch my nose and eyes.

[toddaa]

21. WASH YOUR HANDS!!!

It's amazing how many times I see some jerk walking out of a public restroom without washing his hands.

[Bitter Betty]

19. Thanks for posting this

My father is currently battling a staph infection on his leg that is immune to antibiotics (he's on his 2nd round of antibiotics, but it is not getting better). I'm going to forward this to him so he can ask his doc to get him on Vancomycin.

[WarNoMore]

20. My mother has battled this for years.

It started with a fungal sinus infection. She has a prolapsed mitral valve(among many other things) and has always had to take antibiotics before dental work. So far she has had positive results with the Vancomycin, but it's really scary.

[BigBearJohn]

22. Yes, and this is why we need to spread the word on this.

I'm glad someone told ME about it.