Staph News » Texas

MRSA: Not the Only Killer Staph

Staph News Editor — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 09:25:24 +0000

The death of a high school outside linebacker in Plano, Texas serves as a stark reminder that the superbug methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is not unique in its ability to quickly take lives. Fifteen-year-old Chad Jeter injured his leg while skateboarding on Thanksgiving and succumbed to a staph infection last week, but it wan’t MRSA that claimed the life of the T.H. Williams High School sophomore.

While the media spotlight has focused on MRSA, the antibiotic-resistant type of staph that killed four children in October, even strains of staph that respond to antibiotics can cause lethal infections. The Collin County epidemiologist told Dallas Morning News reporters that staph can be rapidly fatal even if it isn’t a variety that resists treatment. This is particularly true if the infection is not treated promptly.

County health officials are confident that Jeter did not spread the staph infection to others since he did not have a draining wound or abscess. A letter sent home with Williams High School students assured families that the infection was not related to school activities and that there was no evidence other students had been exposed to the bacteria.

Drug Resistant Staph Infections Cause Two Deaths in the Texas Panhandle

Staph News Editor — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 03:25:32 +0000

Two Texas panhandle residents died from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, during the last two weeks, the Texas Department of State Health Services has reported. Health officials have not released the names of the two deceased individuals, but one is believed to be 13-year-old Mason Chandler Frost of Borger who died on November 9, 2007. Although the official cause of death is still pending, the seventh grade boy’s doctors believe he succumbed to MRSA.

Mason Chandler Frost was not in school for the two weeks prior to his death at Nortwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo. Some parents in the Borger Independent School District are concerned that the schools are not doing enough to assure the safety of students, according to KAMR. The Superintendent announced that the school Frost attended was cleaned on Saturday, but there are no plans to close the school facilities for disinfection.

Mason Chandler Frost is the fifth American youth to die from a community-acquired drug resistant staph infection since early October. The other deaths occurred in Virginia, Mississippi, New York, and New Hampshire.

Toddler Hospitalized with Severe Staph Infection in Fort Worth, Texas

Staph News Editor — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 00:49:43 +0000

A three-year-old Texas boy has spent the last 10 days at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Forth Worth fighting a virulent strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The Associated Press reports that the MRSA infection has infiltrated young Dalton Overton’s bloodstream and is now invading his bones and head. He suffers from eczema, a skin condition that increases vulnerability to the dangerous and hard-to-treat staph infection.

After numerous cases of MRSA were reported throughout the nation this month, officials have focused on preventing the spread of the infection among school-aged children. However, little attention has been given to community-acquired staph infections in infants and toddlers like Dalton Overton.

Health professionals say that even children who are too young to attend school need to practice good hygiene and thorough hand washing, since the MRSA bacteria can be spread by any person-to-person contact. Youths with chronic skin disorders like eczema and psoriasis must be especially vigilant about hand washing and skin and wound care.