Drug-resistant bacteria more common than thought in hospitals, nursing homes

According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, "Nearly 19,000 people died in the United States in 2005 after being infected with virulent drug-resistant bacteria that have spread rampantly through hospitals and nursing homes." (Source: "Deadly Bacteria Found to Be More Common," NY Times, Oct. 17, 2007.) If correct, the estimation of deaths associated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) "would exceed those attributed to H.I.V.-AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, emphysema or homicide each year." During the study, researchers estimated that 94,360 patients developed an invasive MRSA infection, with nearly one of every five infected patients dying. Dr. Elizabeth A. Bancroft, an epidemiologist with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, characterized that finding as "astounding."