New Technique Using DNA Data Could Help Doctors Treat MRSA

Scientist at the University of Bath have developed a new technique to predict the toxicity of a MRSA infection from its DNA sequence. This will help clinicians decide the best course of treatment for the infection. MRSA cause disease because of its toxicity which damages a host's tissue. In a study published online in Genome Research, researchers used genome sequence of MRSA to predict toxicity levels for individual bacteria. They identified 125 genetic mutations that made an individual isolate either high or low toxicity. Researchers were surprised to see that isolates from the same clone varied hugely in toxicity. They identified a common genetic signature shared by all the highly toxic strains. Head author of the study Dr. Ruth Massey from the University of Bath states, "...as cost and speed of genome sequencing decreases, it will be feasible to take a swab from a patient, sequence the genome of the bacterium causing the infection, and then use this to predict the toxicity of the infection." Along with MRSA, they are also using their methodology on other bacterial pathogens like Streptococcus pneumonia, which is a leading cause of death in infants and children under the age of 5.
This advancement in MRSA treatment is key. MRSA is a very serious disease. This past NFL season, a lot of players and people involved with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got MRSA. It was so serious that a few players had to miss some games because of it. The NFL even thought about cancelling one of the games. Also, if I remember correctly, I believe there was a breakout of MRSA in South Jersey while I was in high school. My school was taking its precautions by making us fill out papers and telling us to see our doctors.