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Staph Infection Secrets Revealed

By Associated Press

Researchers say they've figured out how the antibiotic-resistant staph infection beats the body's immune system. Staph Infection Secrets Revealed

Published: Mon, November 12, 2007 - 12:08 pm Last Updated: Mon, November 12, 2007 - 12:11 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) - Researchers say they've figured out how the
antibiotic-resistant staph infection beats the body's immune
system.
In a report in the journal Nature Medicine, the research team
says the aggressive strain of the so-called MRSA infection secretes
a compound that causes germ-fighting cells to explode, eliminating
a main defense against it. Experts say the findings may help lead
to better treatments.
An estimated 90,000 people in the U.S. fall ill each year from
MRSA infections. It's not clear how many die from them, but one
estimate puts it at more than 18,000. That would be slightly higher
than U.S. deaths from AIDS.
The infection long has been associated with health care
facilities, where it attacks people with weakened immune systems.
But it can cause severe infections and even death in otherwise
healthy people outside of health care settings as well.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)