Predicting MRSA Toxicity

See “Image of the Day: Merciless MRSA” for an expanded view.NIAIDAn international team led by Ruth Massey at the University of Bath in the U.K. reported a comparative genomic study of 90 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains in Genome Research this week (April 9). Analyzing genome-wide data, Massey and her colleagues were able to predict the toxicity of any given isolate based on genetic signatures. The researchers proposed that their approach could inform similar strategies to better understand other drug-resistant pathogens.

“This paper shows us we can also see how likely to cause a severe infection the isolate is, and therefore how aggressively the patient should be treated,” Massey told Vice’s Motherboard.