• Question: Is MRSA deathly, and is it possible to develop a drug to fight it? If so, how different would it be to regular antibiotics (the chemicals involved)?

    Asked by pi to John, Laura, Luke, Rob, Ruth on 20 Jun 2016.
    • Photo: Robert Williams

      Robert Williams answered on 20 Jun 2016:

      MRSA is in most cases deadly. As its name says it is a bacterium that is resistant to a paricular drug [MR -= Methycillin Resistant].
      The key problem is that we can develop a drug to combat it but it can take so long tha Steptococus Aureous [SA] will evolve to be ready for when a new drug is available.
      Nature moves faster than the biotech industry.
      Sadly, I think that the way forward is to stop using antibiotics. This may/will mean that more people die from infections, but we need to get our immune systems to be better trained to act against the serious infections and not rely on antibiotics to cure mild infections.
      Ebola is another example of an organism that is quite deadly because we have not got enough immunity against it from our own body’s immune system

    • Photo: Laura Finney

      Laura Finney answered on 20 Jun 2016:

      Unfortunately it is deadly, my grandma passed away a few years ago after catching MRSA.
      I agree with Robert, there are too many antibiotics given out which is why we are seeing them developing resistance.
      There are new antibiotics being developed and so hopefully one day we will find a cure!

    • Photo: Luke Williams

      Luke Williams answered on 21 Jun 2016:

      To be fair Robert, nothing can evolve to be immune without being exposed to the antibiotic in the first place.

      I agree that we are overusing antibiotics, both in humans and in animals. If we are going to stop using them or severely restrict their use, it should be in animals not in humans.

      I believe that there are some existing antibiotics that can treat MRSA, it is just more difficult to do so. I suspect that it may not always be known what type of infection someone has, so it can take time to cycle through antibiotics until you find one that works. Infections can spread fairly rapidly, and if you don’t have a strong immune system or are in hospital for something else, this may be time that you just don’t have.

      There is another key resistant strain of SA, call VRSA or Vancomycin Resistant SA. This is a rarer strain, and can be even more problematic to deal with.

      An idea new antibiotic would be one that had a completely different method of action, as this would allow it to be used in conjunction with older antibiotics more effectively. The more different methods the antibiotics use, the less likely a bacteria can evolve resistance to it.

      Alternative approaches include improved cleaning of hospitals and other areas with more powerful antibacterial agents such as 70% ethanol and bleach, as well as new approaches including antibacterial paint. Stopping infections spreading is a key point.

      Additionally, better and quicker screening of patients for infections would allow for more precise treatments. There is little point using methicillin on a MRSA strain for example.

    • Photo: Ruth Patchett

      Ruth Patchett answered on 21 Jun 2016:

      MRSA is deadly to some people, especially with those with weaker immune systems such as the elderly and people who are ill already which is why it was especially bad that it was spreading in hospitals. This happens when someones immune system can’t fight a small infection when it starts and it can spread to the blood and cause a lot more damage.
      It is possible to treat MRSA with some antibiotics but it is resistant to the most common ones we use. The best treatment at the moment is to avoid infections so when we realise someone has an infection we try and avoid it spreading to other people.
      I worked in a nursing home when I was younger and some elderly ladies there had MRSA. It did not kill them thankfully but we made sure we avoided it spreading by washing their clothes separately and washing our hands and wearing disposable aprons when we helped them wash.

Comments