MRSA

Cellphone, Shower, Golf Course, Bedroom... YIKES !!

Blogger Blunder or just plain old "Oh, MY!" Yellow Journalism -- always consider a check of sources and feedback. MooPig took time to show in the last part of this article, commentary that is useful and entertaining.. MooPig loves to read and hear staph news !! "We're a glutton... well, Gluttons for everything!"

The Cellphone (Source -- AOL Health)

What's Lurking: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Think of MRSA as staph on steroids -- it's resistant to most antibiotics and can be deadly if it enters the bloodstream. And even though MRSA usually hides in hospitals, at least 12 percent of the infections in 2005 occurred in the general community, often inside locker rooms.

Another hot zone: Cellphones. When University of Arizona researchers tested 25 cellphones, 20 percent came up positive for MRSA. "When was the last time you cleaned your cellphone? I'm willing to bet never," says Charles Gerba, Ph.D., the study's lead researcher and coauthor of The Germ Freak's Guide to Outwitting Cold and Flu. "These things are very germy, especially the keypads and mouthpieces." Picture it: Every time you dial a number or send a text message, you're transferring the germs on your hands to your phone and then straight to your mouth.

The Shower

What's Lurking: Methylobacter and Sphingomonas Germs thrive in warm, wet environments, which is why they like showering with you. When Norman Pace, Ph.D., a professor of molecular biology at the University of Colorado at Boulder, tested five plastic shower curtains -- including his own -- he discovered millions of microbes lining every square inch, with 80 percent being either Methylobacter or Sphingomonas. What makes this finding worrisome is that studies of indoor pools show that both bugs can form an aerosol and rise into the air. "There's no doubt the same phenomenon occurs in the shower, and thus we're breathing in these potentially harmful bacteria," says Pace, though exactly how harmful is unclear. "We know people get sick for reasons we can't put our finger on. This could be one of them."

How to Beat Them: You could hold your breath while you lather up, or you could simply make your shower less inviting for infectious agents. For starters, pull the curtain all the way closed after you're finished. This will help prevent bacteria from thriving inside the plastic folds. Or, better yet, opt for a fabric shower curtain and an all-metal showerhead. "These types of organisms feed on the organic compounds that form on plastic," says Pace. They also like to gorge on skin cells and other organic material that sloughs off in the shower, so if you go with a cloth curtain, toss it in the washing machine once a month, using the hottest water the fabric can handle.

Golf Courses

What's Lurking: West Nile virus The water hazard at your golf course is also a West Nile hazard; it's where mosquitoes that carry the virus buzz around and breed. And while West Nile fever typically affects older, immune-compromised individuals, a newly identified condition called West Nile poliomyelitis can hit healthy adults in their 30s and 40s. "It's a very serious neuroinvasive disease that attacks the cells in the spinal cord that are responsible for motor strength and activity," says Taylor Harrison, M.D., a professor of neurology at Emory University. "Some people regain movement of their limbs; others don't recover as well."

How to Beat it: Simple: Steer clear of the drink. Also, "if the course is wet, it's a good idea to stay off the golf-cart path," says Gilbert Waldbauer, Ph.D., a professor emeritus of entomology at the University of Illinois and the author of A Walk around the Pond: Insects in and over the Water. "The puddles that form in the tracks are filled with stagnant water where larvae develop." He also suggests a midmorning tee time: "They're out in full force at dusk and dawn." To further shield yourself from skeeters, wear Buzz Off pants and shirts, apparel that's been treated with an EPA-approved insect repellent called permethrin. Both Tommy Hilfiger Golf (tommygolf.com) and Oxford Golf (oxfordgolf.com) make Buzz Off duds for duffers.

How to Beat it: Sanitize your cell once a week with Clorox disinfecting wipes (or any of the supermarket-brand clones). "The wipes won't get into the internal parts of the phone and damage it the way a spray might," says Gerba. If you want more peace of mind, consider Motorola's new i870 cellphone ($300 with a 2-year Nextel contract). The i870 comes treated with AgION Antimicrobial, a very fine ceramic powder coating that contains silver ions, the same substance that's woven into some gym apparel to help inhibit the growth of bacteria.

The Bedroom

What's Lurking: Chlamydia trachomatis Chlamydia is the stealth STD -- a woman can carry the bacteria without symptoms for several years, which means your partner could pass it on to you, even if you're currently monogamous. And once a guy gets chlamydia, he's at risk of developing nongonococcal urethritis (NGU), a bacterial infection of the urethra, says H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D., a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Washington Center for AIDS and STD. NGU is one of the most common reasons men find themselves sitting in an STD clinic. Or standing, since NGU may cause dull testicular pain as well as cloudy discharge and frequent, painful urination. Left untreated, it can lead to infertility.

How to Beat it: Either commit to wearing condoms or ask that your wife or girlfriend be tested for chlamydia. If you opt for the latter, tell her you'll be tested, too; it's possible for someone who's been cured of chlamydia to be reinfected by their partner. Think you may already have NGU? See your doctor -- and take this article along. "Although NGU is very common, not all doctors are as insightful about it as they could be," says Dr. Handsfield, explaining that you'll often get faster results at an STD clinic. "Most men with NGU will be diagnosed and given a prescription on the spot." Antibiotics such as azithromycin and tetracycline have been shown to be effective 90 percent of the time.

Are you skeeved out? What makes you feel itchy all over? Why? Hotel room linens; public washrooms; your trash cans?

Want More Information, I suggest clicking HERE for Christina's archives on the subject, a personal experience with MRSA, and reliable resource.

Comments on AOL Health Website:

RobertWMcMaster 01:43:34 AM Aug 25 2008: Most people couldn't tell you the difference between a bacteria and a virus. I am assuming that most, if not all, of the people who have posted comments and corrections about the AOL writer calling MRSA a virus are either in the health field, or another biological field. I myself am a Biochem student, an have been focusing my studies on pathogenic bacteria, but to most people they are all just another germ, that they fervently hope their physician can cure. Yes, the writer should have gotten his/her facts straight, and yes, this article does try to make these pathogen resivors seem like an iminent threat, but consider that that is how most articles are. They want to make headlines and create sensationalism, even if they have a more mundane topic.

JDR94 11:33:29 PM Aug 24 2008: Type your own comment here -- OK, to echo the earlier comment, MRSA is indeed a bacteria, not a virus ( the implications of this little nuance are vast as there ARE antibiotics to treat it). Also, despite the recent news frenzy, MRSA has been around for YEARS!!! We treat any presumed staph infection if it is MRSA and have been doing so for some time now. Also, some food for thought: the frequency of resistant bugs goes up the more antibiotics these organisms are exposed to. And since 100% of human beings have staph living on their skin at all times, you might want to think about this everytime you are demanding antibiotics from your doctor for your two days of the sniffles (a viral upper respiratory illness). The more we use antibiotics unnecessarily for illnesses that will not be cured by them, the more resistant bug news you'll be hearing about.

JetCharter1 11:21:49 PM Aug 24 2008: Let me get this right..Norovirus is a contagion in the quantity of LESS than 1 to 100,000. Isn't less than one equal to ZERO? As for avoiding the flight attendants to protect yourselves, fine..don't drink or eat anything or use the rest room on your next flight of 4 hours! Watching out for wet areas on a golf course to avoid mosquitos...AOL's real answer.. Buy Tommy Hilfiger golf clothes with permethrin (a neurotoxin). It also looks like we'd better watch out for catching Chlamydia at hpme from our faithful partners. Guess we should just give up sex. Some good points were made though, but my tip to you is just to use common sense. Don't let articles that sensationalize modern problems rule you life. AOL, you've done it AGAIN!