Noticed this on the BBC website, a story from the Netherlands claiming that MRSA is mainly spread by patients moving between hospitals.

The study looked at different strains of the disease across 26 European countries and found that they were geographically concentrated. Hajo Grundmann from the University Medical Centre in Groningen in the Netherlands, said that:

“MRSA appears to be spread by patients who ping-pong around between hospitals. These are often frail or elderly people with on-going health problems."

“The exciting thing is that if we know that MRSA is spread by this core group who are going back and forth between hospitals, we can do something about it and we may ultimately be able to eradicate MRSA."

“The message of this report is that doctors should try to identify people who often move between hospitals or other health care institutions such as nursing homes and they should be screened for MRSA.”

Has there been any research already done specifically on MRSA and its spread?

It’s an interesting new development which does appear to add towards our understanding of the disease although the report contains comments from Dr Richard James from the University of Nottingham in which he says that the study found few community-acquired strains of MRSA because it concentrated on invasive infections.

He says: “Community-acquired MRSA strains cause infections in younger people in the community who have had little contact with healthcare systems. These are unfortunately much less likely to be controlled by interventions that reduce transmission of hospital-acquired MRSA strains.”

So, a partial breakthrough in understanding MRSA?

Let me know what you think.