MRSA and survival in cystic fibrosis patients
Sorry for the slow down in posts, but my blogging will slow quite a bit for the next month. I had a bike mishap that has me wearing a big bulky splint on my right hand…this is slowing me down just as I prepare to start clinical service. I am learning that it isn’t easy to apply alcohol hand gels to just one hand, without using the other…a rinse would be better.
I did want to point out a study in this week’s JAMA on the association between respiratory tract MRSA carriage/infection and mortality in cystic fibrosis patients. We’ve discussed this before with respect to other papers that appear to show worse outcomes from MRSA than MSSA infection. Since we have no reason to believe that MRSA is intrinsically more virulent than MSSA, and since other such studies have been negative, how can we explain these findings? Less effective antibiotic therapy? Unmeasured confounders? I am tired of typing this post entirely with my left hand, so feel free to add your own theories in the comment section!
I did want to point out a study in this week’s JAMA on the association between respiratory tract MRSA carriage/infection and mortality in cystic fibrosis patients. We’ve discussed this before with respect to other papers that appear to show worse outcomes from MRSA than MSSA infection. Since we have no reason to believe that MRSA is intrinsically more virulent than MSSA, and since other such studies have been negative, how can we explain these findings? Less effective antibiotic therapy? Unmeasured confounders? I am tired of typing this post entirely with my left hand, so feel free to add your own theories in the comment section!
Hi Dan,
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting the question. I recently read about the Toxoplasma bug and how it may be influencing the brain and altering people's behavior - making them more risk-seeking. Here is the article on it in the Economist http://www.economist.com/node/16271339
So my theory is that perhaps MRSA infection leads to higher susceptibility to Toxoplasma, which leads to more self-destructive behavior. Kinda reminds me of the movie the Invasion of Body Snatchers.
Btw, we have our own blog now. I wrote about this in more detail there and linked it to your post. vecnamed.blogspot.com. Check it out.