MRSA :: Three more cases of MRSA superbug

Three more cases of a new strain of MRSA have been identified at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire where two people have already died from the “superbug” – Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

A nurse and a patient at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire died after contracting a particular strain of the toxin Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL).

An investigation found seven people, including the patient, had contracted the strain. There have also been three further outbreaks, one of which was a former patient, it emerged today. The hospital said no current patients had been identified as affected.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a specific strain of the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium that has developed antibiotic resistance to all penicillins, including methicillin and other narrow-spectrum β-lactamase-resistant penicillin antibiotics. MRSA was first discovered in the UK in 1961 and is now widespread, particularly in the hospital setting where it is commonly termed a superbug.

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