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According to a government study, a dangerous strain of bacteria resistant to the antibiotic methicillin now kills more people in the United States than AIDS, emphysema, or homicide.

The bacteria, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), has long been known to thrive in hospitals, but has now spread into the general community, where it is spread by contact with clothing or skin.

The study published The Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests that such infections may be twice as common as previously thought, according to its lead author, Dr. R. Monina Klevens. And new studies from Europe and Canada suggest that some MRSA may originate in swine operations and spread via pig farmers and their families into the general community.

However, the U.S. government does not know whether use of antibiotics in livestock in the United States is contributing to community-associated MRSA, because it is not testing U.S. livestock for the presence of bacteria. Read the full article

Reference: Kent schools take different approach to MRSA cases

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