A potentially deadly antibiotic-resistant bacteria is expected to continue flourishing in Winnipeg, a local researcher warns.
Dr. George Zhanel, a University of Manitoba microbiologist and chairman of the Winnipeg-based Canadian Antibiotic Resistance Alliance, said as much as 20 per cent of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) found in hospitals is being brought in by people who picked up the infection in their communities, where it is spreading like wildfire in places like locker-rooms and gyms.
MRSA is an antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can live on the skin for years, and if it gets into the body through an open wound or sore it can cause pimples, boils and in severe cases, blood infections, pneumonia and even death.
Between August 2006 and August 2007, 295 people tested for the bacteria in Winnipeg hospitals were infected with community-acquired MRSA -- compared to 180 people who picked up the infection in hospital.
Zhanel said the superbug is booming in places with a high number of people engaging in skin-to-skin contact, including gyms, day cares, prisons, reserves and the military -- primarily among young, healthy people.
While Winnipeg's rates of community-acquired MRSA haven't exploded like other cities across North America yet, Zhanel said the community bacteria is more aggressive than its hospital counterpart and will continue to spread rapidly until it shows up everywhere.
"This thing is essentially bigger, badder and meaner than its old relative. It grows faster, it makes all these weapons that want to kill human tissue, it makes these weapons that want to kill our own immune system and it is very resistant to antibiotics," Zhanel said.
"It seems happy to grow on healthy people and just wait until it can jump into somebody's wound."
Winnipeg's rates of antibiotic-resistant germs are lower than provinces like Ontario and Quebec, but have steadily increased over the past few years.
Zhanel said 15 per cent of staph bacteria in Manitoba is resistant to antibiotic treatment -- compared to an average of 30 per cent in Quebec.
Manitoba's rates are still high, Zhanel said, and will cause increasing problems as the infection spreads among high-risk groups into the greater community.
A recent study of 10 day-care centres in Dallas, Texas found one in four children are carrying MRSA.
"We wouldn't find that here, but we will in two, three, four years," Zhanel said. "That's how quickly it's spreading."
Zhanel said Winnipeg hospitals already screen for people considered high-risk for MRSA and have aggressive handwashing policies in place for staff. He said in order to tackle community-acquired MRSA, drug companies will have to develop new treatments for skin infections and the public will have to be educated on how to prevent the bacteria from spreading.
Zhanel said researchers aren't sure what to do about people who are "colonized" with MRSA but not infected, and are still learning about how cats and dogs can spread MRSA to humans and vice versa.
"I think the key here is realizing we're in trouble," he said.
Last year, data obtained by the Free Press revealed half of the Winnipeggers who tested positive for antibiotic-resistant superbugs in the first half of 2007 picked up the infection in hospital and half became infected in the community.
In some cases, community hospitals had triple the Canadian mean rate for MRSA and C. difficile and almost 10 times the rate as Health Sciences Centre.
jen.skerritt@freepress.mb.ca
People who are at a higher-risk of MRSA infections have cuts or scrapes, close skin-to-skin contact with other people, come in contact with contaminated items and surfaces or have poor hygiene or live in crowded conditions.
You can prevent staph skin infections by:
-Washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water or use antimicrobial hand sanitizer.
-Keeping cuts and scrapes clean and covered until healed.
-Avoiding contact with other people's wounds or bandages.
-Avoiding sharing personal items like towels and razors.
?-- Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Staph stats
A study presented at the International Symposium on Emerging Resistant Infections at the Health Sciences Centre details the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant staph infections in 12 Canadian Hospitals, including HSC. The percentage indicates how many staph bacteria in hospital are resistant to antibiotic bacteria.
Here's how Manitoba stacks up against other provinces:
National prevalence of MRSA in hospitals: 26.3 %
Manitoba/Saskatchewan: 19.4%
B.C./Alberta: 30.9%
Ontario: 23.1 %
Quebec: 28.9%
Maritimes: 29.9%
Overall, 20.3 % of MRSA found in hospitals is now community-acquired.
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