High Anxiety.(methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infection)(Disease/Disorder overview)

Byline: editor: Abigail Walch

With the hype about drug-resistant infections inciting mass germphobia, Elizabeth Weil looks to ace epidemiologist Elizabeth Bancroft, M.D., for a reality check.

People have dubbed methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) a superbug. Is this bacteria really that menacing? I think calling MRSA a superbug is giving it powers that are undeserved.

What would make a superbug truly super? Bugs more like a pandemic influenza that can be transmitted through respiratory secretions and that have a high kill rate.

But we've all read the stories. What about the seventeen-year-old football player who died? It's important to put concerns in context. The vast majority of community MRSA infections--as opposed to hospital MRSA infections--are skin infections. For the most part, patients with community MRSA infections don't need to be hospitalized or require antibiotics.

How is MRSA spread? By bare-skin contact with the bacteria, so everything from dressing someone's wound to shaking hands or sharing razors, towels, and washcloths.

How do you know if you have it? If you have an angry-looking red, hot skin infection--especially if it's accompanied by chills or fever--go to your doctor.