Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureusCDC, JANICE HANEY CARR
There seems to be no stopping methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from wreaking havoc in hospitals and communities around the globe. But identifying the molecular factors underlying the rapid and virulent spread of the superbug, which is resistant to common antibiotics, could be the first step. Now, researchers have identified a once rare but increasingly common gene that appears to be driving the spread and virulence of MRSA infections in Chinese hospitals.
The study is one of the first to analyze both the frequency and biological function of a gene in drug-resistant staph infections. The identified gene—a mobile genetic element that can move around a genome and jump from one bacterium to another—is evidence that horizontal gene transfer among bacteria drives MRSA epidemics. The gene could ...
