# MRSA



## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

Just wanted to pass this along. It is an article about MRSA and how it can be passed from humans to animals.
http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-hspets295437222oct29,0,7605571.story


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## JASHavanese (Apr 24, 2007)

irnfit said:


> Just wanted to pass this along. It is an article about MRSA and how it can be passed from humans to animals.
> http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-hspets295437222oct29,0,7605571.story


From that page:
_SOME PRECAUTIONS

Don't kiss your pet

Don't let your pet lick you in the face_

You've got to be kidding! How can you not do these things? I guess I'll just have to have antibacterial wipes handy because I'm sure not giving this up.


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

I have always wondered about this. Both my sons had MRSA staph infections. My oldest lost part of his finger due to it, and his leg cut open with a 3 day hospital stay. I talked to the vet about it and although they said that it is highly unlikely we need to do some precuations. Always have the wound covered. Thankfully the pups never got it, and my kids are fine but it is a very alarming infection that is everywhere these days!


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Scary stuff!

There is an outbreak here in my town right now. Several schools have reported it. Does anyone know if it is more prevalent in cats or dogs? 

I agree, Jan! It'd be pretty darn hard not to get kisses. Gucci is always trying to lick me too. She gets mad and sulks when I won't let her lick my ear! LOL eek.

Kara


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

Anyone who suspects that they might be a carrier should not let their dogs lick their faces. Both my boys were colonized with MRSA in their nasal passages. They were fine until they had an eruption every so often. If the dog licked their nose, the dog could certainly get it. We were lucky, after my sons last surgery out Infectious Disease Dr. put him on Massive treatments and both boys are no longer colonized. But if the dogs get it, it could be so deadly. It is a very aggressive infections & spreads very fast!! Just a tip for anyone who has any contact with this. = All you nurses & Drs. please dont jump all over me, I am only stating from personal experience.


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

When my father was in the hospital his last time, they told us he tested positive for MRSA. The same thing, no kissing, hugging, etc. and we had to wear masks, gowns and gloves. I didn't really believe he had it, because he was so debilitated, it should have killed him. But it didn't. He never had any of the symptoms they are talking about in the news, but maybe he was just a carrier.


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

My understanding is that you can be a carrier, have outbreaks that your body can fight ( like a pimple that looks like a boil). Then that heals but you are still a carrier. My older son just had outbreaks that were deadly and got in to the bone at one point. Once you are on IV meds, you heal a little quicker than with the oral meds. Problem is that not all MRSA strains can be treated with the same antibiotic and it takes a few days for them to do a resistance test. It is very scary when they tell you they dont know if the oral meds will work for a few days!!


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

That was the strange thing. My Dad had enphysema(?) and congestive heart failure with pneumonia. That's why he was in the hospital. He also developed a precursor to leukemia. He died 8 mos later, so you know he was in a bad way. I guess all the intravenous meds helped him recover from the MRSA.


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

That's ironic.

My dad developed MRSA when he was being treated for throat cancer. He's still alive and in chemo, but I think his immune system was just suppressed/taxed at the time.

My neighbor also had this and it ate up his arm pretty badly. Seems like this is popping up everywhere 

Kara


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## JASHavanese (Apr 24, 2007)

irnfit said:


> Just wanted to pass this along. It is an article about MRSA and how it can be passed from humans to animals.
> http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-hspets295437222oct29,0,7605571.story


My daughter had MRSA a few years ago. It was very painful for her and took a long time to diagnose and get the right antibiotic. She had pain under her arm and each day it got worse and worse. There was nothing there to see so the dr's were stumped. Finally after weeks it turned red and you could feel a mass under the skin. I called a friend who is a dr and asked him to come look at her and he's the one who said how large it was. The pocket of infection had wrapped around her muscles and tendons under her arm and he was afraid that if they couldn't get it to drain that they'd have to do surgery and he feared she'd lose part of the mobility of her arm. Back then they didn't think about MRSA. They thought it was a really large boil under the skin.
It wouldn't drain on it's own after days of hot packs so I took her to her doctor and asked him to lance it. She told him no, I told him yes, so he did. LOL this was a gal in her late 20's and the dr still asked Momma. 
One poke and we had a flood on our hands. The dr was yelling for me to grab towels and we dealt with it with bare hands. <duh> She got a few more pockets of it in different places so I took her to a different doctor, this time my neighbor. He gave her antibiotics and said all would be fine. It wasn't fine so back to him we went. That's when I demanded a culture and I'M the one who had to do the culture because they didn't take it seriously. Oh boy did everything change when that culture came back. Then they were in gowns and gloves when she went in. They said there were 2 antibiotics that might deal with it...only 2. One was a pill, the other would have to be given by an IV in a hospital. Luckily the pills dealt with it but that poor girl went through months of pain. Several of her friends also had it around the same time.
My husband had a staff infection in his knee in starting last December and he wound up in the hospital for 15 days in January. He had staff, not MRSA. We almost lost him because they couldn't stop it and the infection got up to his thigh. The doctors kept warning me that it could go in his blood stream and then we were in big trouble. Luckily it didn't but it got too close for comfort.
Everything seems to be going nuts in the world. Look at the statistics for your chances of getting an autistic child. It's down to something like 1 in 150 when it used to be one in well over 1000. Children all of a sudden are allergic to peanuts and the numbers are staggering. It's so bad now that scientists are working at taking the allergen out of peanuts. (how the heck do they do that!). 
I don't get it. People are more health conscience, so many have stopped smoking, they're eating better and health problems are growing in huge numbers. What the heck changed?


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## Leslie (Feb 28, 2007)

A year ago this past Feb., my sister died from it. She had cancer and wound up contracting it while in the hospital for radiation treatment. Three weeks later she was gone. Her death certificate reads that the cause of death was MRSA.


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## JASHavanese (Apr 24, 2007)

havashadow said:


> A year ago this past Feb., my sister died from it. She had cancer and wound up contracting it while in the hospital for radiation treatment. Three weeks later she was gone. Her death certificate reads that the cause of death was MRSA.


(((((((((((Leslie))))))))))))) I'm so sorry


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## Leslie (Feb 28, 2007)

Thanks, Jan. It was quite a shock to all of us when it happened. My mother, who is an exceptionally strong woman, is still struggling to deal w/it.


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Leslie, I am very sorry for your loss. :hug:

I had of course heard of staph infections, but I never knew so many people had been affected by them.


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Jan,

I know some people that autism is caused by vaccinations. I know a few people that don't give certain vaccines to their kids because of the research on it.

Food allergies are FAR more common than years past, too. But look at how "processed" everything is!

Now, we have resistant bacterias all over the place? scaryy!

Kara


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

We think that's what my MIL died from. She had surgery for ovarian cancer and developed a "staph" infection. It went thru the entire ICU, but she never got better.


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

The reason resistant bacteria are so prevalent now is because of doctors over prescribing antibiotics (how many people do YOU know who go running to a doctor at the first sign of a runny nose?) as well as people not taking antibiotics for the full period of time when they really DO need it because they got better - I can't stress enough how much of a bad idea that is!

Also, there are many theories as to why so many problems are cropping up everywhere in so many different people, but it's really what you believe. Being a scientist, I look for proof first and try to understand the facts. Many people don't think that way and go on gut instinct or on what they believe from reading the opinion of someone else. It depends on what kind of person you are.

However, from a revolutionary perspective I can tell you that it makes complete sense that there are so many problems in our bodies because we are all living longer lives due to better health care and preventative measures. However, the fact that we are all living longer is NOT a good thing when you look at your body. On average, we are supposed to die around 30-35 years. That's just the facts. Your body is not built to support you until your are 60+ years of age.

Why are there so many cases of Alzheimer's and cancer nowadays? Because people live longer. Why are so many kids getting sick so often? Because people have children later in life (the odds of having a child that is mentally retarded after the age of 35 increases by more than 80%) - did you know that a woman's peak fertility age is 21? How many times do you hear of a woman having a child at 21 nowadays and you find yourself thinking that's so sad because she's so young? For our society, yes that's young, but from your body's standpoint, that's ideal. Also, the other reason is that a lot of people who should have died as children if we lived in a world with no medical care are being cured (I'm talking about genetic problems or even weak immune systems, hearts, lungs, etc.). This means that genes are being passed on to children that are not necessarily the best of genes from an evolutionary standpoint.

I just want to make clear that I am NOT proposing no health care or to let a child die (I work in biomedical research, afterall), I am just trying to give an evolutionary and scientific perspective to some of the diseases people have to deal with nowadays.


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## mckennasedona (Feb 20, 2007)

Lina,
Great post. I was going to post that it's because we've antibiotic'd and antibacterial'd ourselves almost into oblivion. Many are not willing to endure a 4-5 day cold or flu. Most want antibiotics and they want them NOW. We used to let ourselves be exposed to things in the environment and we could develop resistance. Now it seems we anti-bacterial ourselves to death. 

My late mother-in-law once bragged about how she took 8-10 pills a day for various ailments. I was shocked at the toxic cocktail she consumed every day. 

My husband and I both subscribe to the advice given us by our childhood doctors. Let a cold or flu run its course. If, after 7 days you don't feel better then come in. 

Susan


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Susan, that's exactly what I always did! I was hardly ever sick as a child but when I was I never took anything but honey for a sore throat. Now when I get sick I just let it run its course. I have only once taken antibiotics for strep throat (and I waited 4 days before going to the doctor to ensure that I really was that bad) and once for a cut on my foot that got a mild infection. I have a friend who is on antibiotics what seems like once a month! Such overkill and completely unnecessary.


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## JASHavanese (Apr 24, 2007)

Lina said:


> Susan, that's exactly what I always did! I was hardly ever sick as a child but when I was I never took anything but honey for a sore throat. Now when I get sick I just let it run its course. I have only once taken antibiotics for strep throat (and I waited 4 days before going to the doctor to ensure that I really was that bad) and once for a cut on my foot that got a mild infection. I have a friend who is on antibiotics what seems like once a month! Such overkill and completely unnecessary.


I am not a pill taker and like you I very rarely take antibiotics. I think sometimes they do as much harm as good since they also kill good bacteria. My doctor wanted me to take some new antibiotic when I got a really bad ear infection last year (at the National of all places) and I told him to just give me one of the old proven ones that don't cost 150 for the rx. He was telling me that because antibiotics have been so overused that bugs are becoming resistant to them. My reply was that it shouldn't affect me since I rarely take antibiotics and he said I was wrong and that everyone who abused antibiotics affected us all by making the bugs super bugs.


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Jan, that's exactly right. And that's why I posted what I did in the post above the one you quoted. You want to know something scary? It has been proposed that sometime soon (in the range of decades, not centuries) all antibiotics that currently exist will not work on ANY bacteria - even something as simple as strep throat, say. That is why it's so important NOT to abuse antibiotics and to take an antibiotic in full when it is given. This is necessary because let's say you're not having any symptoms and you feel fine. So, you decide not to take any more of your pills. There might still be bacteria in your body but they are not as potent as to give you symptoms. However, they now have become resistant to the antibiotic since you stopped taking it and they now have the time they need to mutate into a resistant strain. That bacteria now can move onto someone else and when they try to take that same antibiotic, all of its progeny (as well as any other bacteria it comes in contact with) are now resistant and the antibiotic won't work anymore. It's scary stuff if you think about it.


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## The Fussy Puppy Gang (May 21, 2007)

This is all just scary stuff. I've heard about MRSA, but have luckily not known anyone who's had it. The idea of bacteria evolving to become "super" resistant is very disturbing to me.

I pray that all of us and our pets stay safe from this growing epidemic.

I'm with you Jan - I could never give up Pepper's kisses, so I'll be sure to keep both of us clean and healthy. :kiss:

Wanda


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

Lina, I so agree with you on this, and I know that Drs. now are taking the tack of not giving antibiotics too often. But this MRSa thing really scares med. Like Jan's daughter they just kept treating my sons infection in his thumb like it was not big deal. I asked them to culture it but it was over Thanksgiving weekend, and by Monday morning his finger was black. I happened to see his Dr. that morning running by my house and told him and he said to take him to a surgeon for debreeding. While there we got the diagnosis of MRSA, the surgeon took xrays & said it was getting into his bones (which would have been fatal) and they had to operate immediately. They wanted to do this so quickly that they could not get an OR so they did it in a surgi center under a local =- my kid was awake the whole time while they removed a part of his finger!!! Ever since then, EVERY infection my kids get, I demand a culture immediately!! Lily even had a staph infection (not MRSA) in her bladder. It is very scary.;
Laurie


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## Poornima (Jun 29, 2007)

Lina, great post! I completely agree. I grew up with the philosphy of giving a chance to the body's immune system to fight the infection without medicating oneself first for every cold, cough and flu. Too much medication and antibactrial stuff is weakening the immune system.


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## havaluv (Oct 15, 2007)

Laurie, oh my gosh, that must have been so scary for both you and your little one! Thank God the doctor was running by your house that morning!!! (literally!) It also goes to show we have to be VERY proactive with our healthcare and the care of those we love...to heck with whether the caregivers think we are 'nice' or not. I know, for me, it's hard to be assertive, it just doesn't come naturally, but when it comes to healthcare, I've learned! Good for you for standing your ground!


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

My DH comes from a family who believes that you take an antibiotic for everything. I don't believe in that. If you really need them, like when I had a UT, then you have no choice. But not for a cold. I am lucky because I rarely get sick, but I used to as a kid. Everyone around me had real bad colds last week, but luckily I didn't. I think it is just because I don't take antibiotics unless I really need them and my body can fight off some infections.


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

Shelly - thanks, yes it was scary, especially when he had a second one two years later, but he is fine now, a strapping 20 year old college student - who I think is studying partying??? No one will ever stand up for us like our Moms!! The part that makes me angry is that I told the school that I was sure he got it in the football field house, no one believed me or did anything, now all of a sudden this year, they are reporting MRSA infections, telling parents what to do, stating that they are sterilizing the field house etc!! Cripes - they didnt believe me!!! That made me really mad!!


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

Laurie, that is scary! Poor kid - he must have been so scared.


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

I wonder, I have never babied my guys so when they get sick or hurt we never made a big deal about it. In fact, he thought it was pretty cool that he got to be awake for his surgery and hear and see what was going on. For a teenage boy, that is cool!! Of course when I had to unpack, soak, clean out , and repack his wound 3 times a day, he changed his mind and said it was the worst pain he had ever experienced. I guess it is something that we all go thru with our kids, whether it be illness, or accidents.


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## Paige (Sep 12, 2006)

This is very scary....I am so sorry for everyone who has been touched by this...I have never heard about it before they talked about it on the news . I sure didn't know it was so common.


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## havaluv (Oct 15, 2007)

> I was sure he got it in the football field house, no one believed me or did anything, now all of a sudden this year, they are reporting MRSA infections, telling parents what to do, stating that they are sterilizing the field house etc!! Cripes - they didnt believe me!!! That made me really mad!!


Laurie, Oh! That would make me hopping mad too!!! After all he went through, they put others in that same danger!!! :frusty:

I'm glad to hear he's ok, now though! Thanks for sharing this with all of us. Lina too. This is a great thread and good for us to be aware.


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## Lo01 (Jul 22, 2007)

"Everything seems to be going nuts in the world. Look at the statistics for your chances of getting an autistic child. It's down to something like 1 in 150 when it used to be one in well over 1000. Children all of a sudden are allergic to peanuts and the numbers are staggering. It's so bad now that scientists are working at taking the allergen out of peanuts. (how the heck do they do that!). 
I don't get it. People are more health conscience, so many have stopped smoking, they're eating better and health problems are growing in huge numbers. What the heck changed?"

I would like to express my deepest condolences to Leslie and the loss of her sister.

I agree _wholeheartedly_ with Lina's comments in this thread. As a physician (more specifically, a Pediatrician) I'd like to address the above quote from Jan -- the world is not necessarily "going nuts." Rather, one aspect that must be considered, is that our diagnostic capabilities in the evaluation of children (to include autism as well as food allergies mentioned) is leaps and bounds better than even when I started medical school (in the 90s). In other words, one may perceive "seeing more" of "X disease, primarily because we, as physicians, are better trained at looking for X disease, and as a result, there is a concomitant rise in X diagnosis..." Your chances of "getting" autism has not increased. As an aside Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), is not a new entity - it has been described in medical literature as early as 1965; the issue primarily stems from the recent rise in community acquired MRSA: http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/abstract/144/5/309

I must add if anyone is concerned about autism and vaccinations please evaluate your sources. The weight of currently available and reliable scientific evidence does not support the hypothesis that vaccines cause autism. I counsel my families who arrive with "information (gleaned from multiple websites - not peer reviewed evidenced based medical literature)" at hand and typically come to the agreement that the benefit of avoiding a fatal vaccine preventable disease far outweighs the perceived "risk" of autism. This coming from a proud uncle of a wonderful 10 y/o girl with a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome (a subset of the Autism Spectrum Disorders). 

Lastly, Michele, thank you for the original post. The concept of reverse zoonotic disease is new to me a physician. I've always viewed all pets (except Hank of course) as possible etiologies for disease and pestilence, I've never seen it the other way around.

Regards,
*'Lo*


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Lo, that is a great post! I agree with you 100%.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Lo & Carolina, thank you for both of your posts! I really appreciate your scientific & medical contributions.

I am not familiar with MRSA, and am curious to read more about this now. The inter-species threat from us to animals intrigues me.


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

Thanks to you all for posting on this thread - Since I have been trying for years to bring some awareness to this issue!! We all just need a little education to help identify and to prevent this. It is great that we have so many people with different background who can participate & have input!!!


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