- (AFP) -- The so-called superbug MRSA, a multi-resistant
strain of staphylococcus usually found in hospitals, has been discovered
for the first time on US beaches, a study said.
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- The antibiotic-resistant strain, which is increasingly
found in prisons, gym locker rooms and homes, can cause skin conditions
and organ ailments and serious and sometimes fatal cases of pneumonia.
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- "This is the first report of MRSA (Methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus) from marine water and inertial beach sand,"
said Marilyn Roberts, a microbiologist at the University of Washington
in Seattle and co-author of the study, during a press briefing Saturday.
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- The study describes the discovery of the MRSA strain
on five out of 10 public beaches along the coasts of Washington and California,
where researchers collected sand and water samples between February and
September 2008.
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- Ordinary staphylococcus was found on nine out of the
ten beaches. MRSA was not found in the samples taken from the two California
beaches, but the researchers said they did not believe that presence of
the strain in Washington was an anomaly.
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- They said beaches could pose a transmission risk, making
it easier for the virulent strain to spread.
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- Tests showed that the MRSA found on the five beaches
was very similar to the antibiotic resistant type found most commonly in
hospitals, Roberts said. "We do not know the risk for any particular
beach, but the fact that we found these organisms suggests that the level
is much higher than we had thought," she said.
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- Roberts said the researchers found more organisms in
the sand than in the water, explaining that this was likely because the
sand acts as a filter for the sea water.
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- "I am not telling people not to go to the beach,"
she said, adding that simple precautions could help mitigate the spread
of MRSA.
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- "Hygiene is always important and make sure you get
all the sand off... and cover cuts and bruises on the skin," she said.
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- Copyright AFP
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