Bacteria tests reveal how MRSA strain can kill in 24 hours

The Guardian (UK) ^ | 1/19/07 | Ian Sample

[kiriath_jearim]

Scientists have unravelled the workings of a deadly superbug that attacks healthy young people and can kill within 24 hours.

PVL-producing MRSA, a highly-virulent strain of the drug-resistant superbug, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, has spread around the world and caused deaths in the UK, Europe, the US and Australia. PVL or panton-valentine leukocidin toxin destroys white blood cells and usually causes boils and other skin complaints. But if it infects open wounds it can cause necrotising pneumonia, a disease that rapidly destroys lung tissue and is lethal in 75% of cases.

Thousands of infections have been recorded across the US, but scientists believe the number is likely to rise in Britain.

In 2004 the bug claimed the life of Richard Campbell-Smith, a fit 18-year-old Royal Marine, who died three days after scratching his legs on gorse during a training exercise in Devon. In December an outbreak at Norfolk and Norwich University hospital killed a baby and infected five others. According to the Health Protection Agency there were 106 cases of PVL-MRSA in England and Wales in 2005 and one confirmed death from necrotising pneumonia caused by the infection.

Scientists at the University of Texas in Houston and Lyon University in France conducted experiments into PVL to work out why it was so lethal. They took two batches of normal staphylococcus aureus bacteria and modified one of them to produce the PVL toxin.

The researchers exposed mice to the different groups of bacteria, to see if they developed lung infections. Animals that inhaled the normal staphylococcus were unaffected, but those that inhaled the PVL-producing staphylococcus quickly developed necrotising pneumonia, with some dying within 48 hours.

[Centurion2000]

Scientists at the University of Texas in Houston and Lyon University in France conducted experiments into PVL to work out why it was so lethal. They took two batches of normal staphylococcus aureus bacteria and modified one of them to produce the PVL toxin.

Do they realize they were a bioengineering a weapon here?

[DesScorp]

Skipper, first, where are you going to med school at, out of curiosity? Second, with a wife and a 16 month old child heading for major and minor surgery in the next two months, do you recommend that I use this tea tree oil stuff around the house? The Wikipedia entry says it can do all manner of marvelous things, from treating athletes foot to sanitizing house surfaces. Is that true?

[DesScorp]

“I imagine the pharmaceutical companies are working to develop antibiotics to fight these bacteria. On the other hand, if Hillary care or some variant of it is passed that penalizes drug companies for successful research we may not get the new drugs needed to fight this coming pandemic.”

Thanks from bringing that up. The vast majority of new drugs are developed in the US...there’s a profit motive here. Take away the profit motive, and you take away most of the progress in drug development.

[IronJack]

Do you happen to wear a t-shirt with the motto “NO FEAR” and have other juvenile habits?

I don't wear a lot of t-shirts. I'm at the stage of life where they're mostly polos and sweatshirts. But I do have one that says "I'm with Stupid." I can break it out next time you stop over.