Superbug spreads from big city hospitals to regional health centers, study suggests

Hospitals in large cities act as breeding grounds for the superbug
MRSA prior to it spreading to smaller hospitals, a study suggests.
Researchers found evidence that shows for the first time how the
superbug spreads between different hospitals throughout the country.
The University of Edinburgh study involved looking at the genetic
make-up of more than 80 variants of a major clone of MRSA found in
hospitals.
Scientists were able to determine the entire genetic code of MRSA bacteria taken from infected patients.
They then identified mutations in the bug which led to their
emergence of new MRSA variants and traced their spread around the
country. Dr Ross Fitzgerald, of The Roslin Institute at the University of
Edinburgh, who led the study said: "We found that variants of MRSA
circulating in regional hospitals probably originated in large city
hospitals. The high levels of patient traffic in large hospitals means
they act as a hub for transmission between patients, who may then be
transferred or treated in regional hospitals."

Read the whole story: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uoe-ssf051412.php