In theory, immune balance should pre-empt the nastiest of the nasties

Posted on October 15th, 2008 by Craig Maltby, Editor

In theory, immune balance should pre-empt the nastiest of the nasties

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Remember that “word.” Or to make it easier, just call it MRSA. I pointed out to a commenter on this blog a few days ago that MRSA looks like pretty scary stuff. It’s a strain of staff bacteria resistant to many antibiotics. Surgical draining and IVs are needed to get it under control. It has primarily been confined to hospitals as a post-op infection that is vigorously guarded against through stringent anti-infection protocols because it’s so tough to treat. A Wall Street Journal online story today recounts the experience of a doctor who has been treating several cases of MSRA. He points out that MRSA has always been viewed as a hospital-originated infection; people get it after having been exposed during a hospital stay. But he says today 15% of the cases cannot be traced to hospitalization.

Several incidents have emerged in Central Florida:

October 9, 2008: 17-Year-Old Osceola County Student Diagnosed With MRSA

October 9, 2008: Four Harris Corporation Employees Exposed To MRSA

October 8, 2008: School District Holds News Conference Amid New MRSA Concerns

October 7, 2008: School Board To Address Ongoing MRSA Concerns At High School

October 2, 2008: School Being Scrubbed Clean After Infection Kills Student

October 2, 2008: MRSA Ruled As Cause Of High School Football Player’s Death

And in the Pittsburgh area and the U.K. It seems schools are prime areas for spreading MRSA though skin to skin contact (wrestling and other contact sports) and shared surfaces: shower rooms, towels, etc.

My reason for writing about this not to alarm anyone, just to provide a little new info to anyone who hadn’t really heard about this.

Also, it’s worth noting that, conceptually, a balanced immune system, which attacks high-threat microbial intruders early and forcefully (while also letting harmless ones pass on by), could be an effective approach in possibly reducing risk of serious problems from MRSA. There is no published research I know of that posits any proof of specific MRSA containment by virtue of immune balancing supplementation, but, as Dr. Reeves at Embria pointed out to me, whether it’s a simple cold virus or an MRSA bacterium, the fundamental model of efficient, balanced immune defense should prevail.

Filed under Bacteria, Bacterial Environments, Balanced Immune Health, Flu, Germs, Immune Balance, Immune System, Prescription Drugs, Research, Sports

Ask The Dietitian:
October 18th, 2008 at 7:16 am

Well, I live in Orlando and have been following the MRSA “story”. It has affected my life personally – 3 years ago my brother got MRSA and we have been fighting it ever since. He suffers from crohn’s disease and has a weak immune system. I have been reading some interesting studies that cannabinoids show promise in disrupting MRSA. I hope we will be able to eradicate MRSA in the very near future and that will only happen if we continue to report about it – hospitals have been keeping it a secret for years.

Craig Maltby, Editor:
October 20th, 2008 at 11:05 am

Dietician:

Thanks for posting and putting a real face on this serious health issue. If you have more to add about MRSA or other immune-system developments, I hope you’ll check back here regularly. Interesting info on the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids. I have always thought the effect was primarily pain alleviation. But you’re seeing information on the actual interaction of the compound with bacteria?

Appreciate your sharing.

Craig