Update on MRSA Reporting

Andy Towle brings us an update on the official word on the spread of MRSA. From the CDC's latest release:

MRSA is a common cause of skin infections throughout the United States. These infections occur in men, women, adults, children, and persons of all races and sexual orientations, and are known to be transmitted by close skin-to-skin contact. In this issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, Diep et al looked at isolates of MRSA - USA300 strains containing a particular plasmid associated with additional drug resistance. The paper shows that multidrug-resistant USA300 has emerged as an important source of disease among men with have sex with men in 2 geographically distinct communities. The strains of MRSA described in the recent Annals of Internal Medicine have mostly been identified in certain groups of men who have sex with men (MSM), but have also been found in some persons who are not MSM. It is important to note that the groups of MSM in which these isolates have been described are not representative of all MSM, so conclusions can not be drawn about the prevalence of these strains among all MSM. The groups studied in this report may share other characteristics or behaviors that facilitate spread of MRSA, such as frequent skin-to-skin contact.

Which is the diplomatic way of saying that Diep and Altman are scare-mongers with some masculinity issues. Get this quote (from Salon):

Binh An Diep, lead author of the San Francisco and Boston study, addressed the outcry on NPR: "Because USA300 and other Staph aureus [bacteria] are so easily spread -- just through skin-to-skin contact transmission -- we don't think it will be restricted to the men-who-have-sex-with-men population, but will be spread into the general population."

Diep fails to mention that MSRA is already in the "general population," and that his study was limted to MSM (the men, not the medium). In fact, looking at it, his statement is deliberately misleading. The major vectors are noted here:

When it comes to spreading the bacteria, it is not homosexuals we have to worry about. It is that much wider swath of the male population examined in the New England Journal of Medicine. In the journal, the medical researchers were not studying gays, they were studying the St. Louis Rams. That is correct: football players; in particular, linebackers. 'In our investigation,' the journal noted, 'infection occurred only among linemen and linebackers, and not among those in backfield positions, probably because of the frequent contact among linemen during practice and games.' Those rug burns I mentioned are in fact turf burns. 'All MRSA skin abscesses developed at sites of turf burns," declared the journal.'

Rates of transmission also seem to be higher in college and high school showers and locker rooms. No guesses on that one. Of course, if you're Peter La Barbera, it's probably because gays have taken over the schools.