A form of antibiotic-resistant staphylococcus bacteria has been found on five beaches in Washington state. Worse, scientists believe the state is not the only one with this problem.
Flesh-eating bacterial infections, or necrotizing fasciitis, is caused by a variety of bacteria, but MRSA, or s methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a strain of Staphylococcus aureus which is resistant to antibiotics, has been a leading cause of the diseases since at least 2001. MRSA was once rarely seen outside of hospitals but increasingly has been found spreading in community settings such as schools, locker rooms and gyms.
Marilyn Roberts, a microbiologist at the University of Washington in Seattle presented her findings on Saturday at an American Society for Microbiology conference in California. Researchers tested 10 beaches in Washington along the West Coast and in Puget Sound from February to September 2008. Staph bacteria were found at nine of them, including five with MRSA.
Worse, while typically the MRSA found in community settings have been less virulent than that found in hospitals, the MRSA found on the beaches resembled the more dangerous hospital variety.
"We don't know the risk" for any individual going to a beach. But the fact that we found these organisms suggests that the level is much higher than we had thought."
While it's probably still safe to return to the beaches (post "Jaws," that is), those concerned about MRSA should take some common-sense precautions.
- Make sure you get all the sand off after visiting a beach
- Shower
- Cover cuts and scrapes to be sure sand can't get into them
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