Deadly antibiotic-resistant superbug MRSA is spreading OUTSIDE hospitals
A SUPERBUG resistant to antibiotics has spread outside of hospitals more than 100 times, new research suggests.
In the first study of its kind the MRSA bacterium was tracked across the east of England for a year.
It was found to be transmitted in the community 173 times after going unrecognised by doctors.
The infection usually occurs in hospitals, where it is particularly dangerous because patients’ immune systems are already weaker, but it is not unheard of for it to be found outside in the wider community, such is in nursing homes.
The new research focused specific individuals who passed on MRSA as they moved through the healthcare system.
But researchers say their approach to tracking the infection could transform the way we tackle it, as well as other superbugs.
Dr Julian Parkhill, of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, said: “Using whole genome sequencing we have been able to see the full picture of MRSA transmission within hospitals and the community for the first time.
“We found sequencing MRSA from all affected patients detected many more outbreaks than standard infection control approaches.
“This method could also exclude suspected outbreaks, allowing health authorities to rationalise resources.”
The team mapped transmission from 1,465 patients in a 12-month time frame.
They sequenced the DNA of at least one MRSA strain from the individuals based on routine samples from three hospitals and 75 GP surgeries.
They discovered 173 outbreaks in hospitals, in the community, in GP surgeries and in homes.
Earlier this year the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned antibiotic-resistant superbugs pose an enormous threat to human health.
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Dr Jonathan Pearce, head of infections and immunity at the Medical Research Council (MRC), said: “Antibiotic resistance poses a global challenge to healthcare.
“To tackle it we need to prevent infections, preserve existing antibiotics and promote the development of new therapies and interventions.
“This study sheds light on MRSA transmission within and between hospitals and the community, which could help strengthen infection prevention and control measures.”
The researchers said the study, published in Science Translational Medicine, shows routine surveillance of MRSA can detect unsuspected outbreaks.
Catching them early could prevent further spread and reduce the number of people involved.
MRSA is incredibly hard to treat and can be fatal because it is resistant to widely-used antibiotics.
The full name of MRSA is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and it is often called a superbug.
About 30 per cent of people carry the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria on their skin and inside the nostrils and throat.
But if it invades the body's bloodstream it can be deadly - killing up to a fifth of infected patients.
Even when the infection is treated it doubles the average length of hospital stays puts added pressure on healthcare services.
The WHO recently classified MRSA as high priority on its list for research and development of new drugs.
Patients may be screened for it after they are admitted to hospital.
But this approach can miss MRSA transmission between people in hospitals and the community, making outbreaks in family or community groups can be difficult to detect.
A follow-up study is set to begin next year in which the researchers will sequence MRSA strains from all new cases and share tracking information with infection control workers.
Study leader Sharon Peacock, of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: “Our study has shown sequencing all MRSA samples as soon as they are isolated can rapidly pinpoint where MRSA transmission is occurring.
“If implemented in clinical practice this would provide numerous opportunities to catch outbreaks early and target these to bring them to a close, for example by decolonising carriers and implementing barrier nursing.
“We have the technology in place to do this and it could have a really positive impact on public health and patient outcomes.”
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