Annotated Bib Entry #1

Clemmitt, Marcia. (August 24, 2007). Fighting Superbugs. CQ Researcher, 17 (29). Retrieved October 31, 2007, from http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2007082400.

Antibiotic resistance is becoming an almost unstoppable problem in today's health care. Bacteria naturally develop resistance to antibiotics, and instead of just increasing the dosage or using the next strongest antibiotic, health care providers are running out of options. One of the biggest problems in antibiotic resistance right now is methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, more commonly known as MRSA. This bacteria was seen in mostly hospital patients until just recently. It is starting to infect people outside of hospitals, where it is then referred to as Community Acquired MRSA. The problem with CA-MRSA is that it is becoming resistant to almost all antibiotics except for vancomycin-the strongest, last resort antibiotic. Even so, there have already been a few cases of vancomycin resistant staphylococcus, which leaves us with nothing to fight the bacteria with. Some may argue that the answer is the careful monitoring of antibiotic distribution. It may be able to keep track of what is distributed in America and other developed countries, but there are too many countries which allow patients to pick up an antibiotic at the pharmacy without a prescription. There are a few developments in the fight against MRSA, such as using the anti-infective properties of honey and the use of "bacteriophages-viruses that invade certain species of bacterial cells and cause them to burst and die"(p.22). Even with these new remedies, it is important to remember how dangerous MRSA is, and to know how to avoid it. Hand washing is the most important step in preventing the spread of bacteria. Soaps with the antibacterial triclosan should be avoided, however, as they contribute to antibiotic resistance. It is also very important to take all of a prescribed antibiotic as stopping when symptoms subside could leave the stronger bacteria behind.

I can use the information from Clemmitts article to explain what MRSA is, how it is aquired, how to prevent it, and how the FDA and drug companies are working on a solution.