Hospitals have long been suspected of harboring some pretty nasty germs - research has shown that on average, one out of 20 patients contract an infection in the course of a hospital stay. But a new study presented at the 105th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology shows an alarming resilience of a potentially deadly antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria known as MSRA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), which now accounts for some 60 percent of staph infections at American hospitals. (Thirty years ago, MSRA accounted for only 2 percent of such infections.)
   
    The study found that MSRA bacteria can survive from between five days to eight weeks on such common hospital surfaces as bedding, acrylic nails and computer keyboard covers. MSRA passes easily from surface to surface by way of clothing, hand contact and medical equipment, such as stethoscopes. It remains innocuous on the skin’s surface, but its capacity to resist antibiotics makes it potentially life-threatening when exposed to broken skin.
   
    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have long advocated a simple defense against hospital infections: Have doctors and healthcare workers wash their hands between treating patients. But the new MSRA study found that less than half of hospital staff actually observe that discipline, leaving post-operative patients, the elderly and those with chronic illnesses most at risk. That’s why the next time you visit the hospital for advice, you might want to offer some of your own.

   
From our archive:

09/12/1994  Killers All Around