USA Todayreports that University of Washington researchers found methicillin-resistant Staph aureus (MRSA) in seven public beaches on the Puget Sound.
The researchers identified Staph bacteria on nine of 10 public beaches that they tested. Seven of 13 Staph aureus samples, found on five beaches, were multidrug resistant, says lead investigator Marilyn Roberts.
"Our results suggest that public beaches may be a reservoir for possible transmission of MRSA," she told the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy here, the leading international conference on new and resurgent diseases.
This study and another recent study about beach pollution certainly make the idea of going to the beach much less appealing. Lance Peterson, a University of Chicago infectious disease specialist, told USA Today that "Staph is a salt-loving organism. It's not surprising to see it in the ocean."
MRSA is a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The CDC says it is a potentially dangerous type of staph bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics and may cause skin infections. MRSA can also cause bloodstream infections and pneumonia.
Photo credit: Janice Carr, Public Health Image Library (PHIL)
USA Today 
