Quote:
|
Originally Posted by MattFYF Can your body fight off MRSA like it could a cold or the flu, before it goes into a serious infection? Or does MRSA 'stay' inside or a person until it somehow flares up and causes serious problems? |
I took a biology class in college where we did an experiment to test for antibiotic resistant bacteria. Each of us took a Q-tip and swabbed the skin near our noses, then smeared the swab on a petri dish. If I remember correctly, each dish had a drop of a different antibiotic in the center.
The TA incubated the dishes for a week, and when we saw them next, most dishes had a ring of bacteria around the antibiotic in the center. A smaller ring in the center meant the bacteria was more resistant. My lab partner had one dish with bacteria that were totally resistant to one of the antibiotics—they filled the dish completely.
What does this mean? We have bacteria living on us all the time, and sometimes it's already drug resistant. If we are healthy, it's often not a problem.
In light of this thread, I thought this newspaper article was interesting:
Potentially fatal bacteria found in pigs, farmworkers