Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a multi-drug resistant bacteria that has become a public health nightmare. Infections in hospitals have become commonplace (the number of MRSA infections in intensive care units has increased over 30 fold in just three decades) and the bacteria is no longer limited to medical facilities, despite the adoption of preventive measures, having been found in unrelated places like prisons or locker rooms.
Why is the spread of MRSA such a serious problem?
Of course, the proliferation of a potentially harmful bacteria is always cause for concern. Staphylococcus aureus infections are inoffensive as long as the lesions are restricted to the skin or mucosal lining, but quickly become dangerous — fatal, if left untreated — when they reach the bloodstream. Treatment with antibiotics greatly improves the prognosis, but not in the case of MRSA, which is resistant to the commonly used and most effective ones. Other drugs available now seem to have very limited effect, but a recently paper published in the journal Small suggests there might be a previously unexplored alternative — gold nanoparticles.