MRSA: Website “cures” the superbug! Or not.

MRSA–methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus–is a bad thing, an often lethal microbe untouchable by standard antibiotics.

Genome sequencing is a good thing, offering us glimpses into the inner workings of organisms and hints about how to defeat such things as MRSA.

Genome sequencing has not, however, enabled researchers to rid the world, or even a community, of MRSA.

But you can read otherwise at redorbit.com, which describes itself as "the premier internet destination for space, science, health, and technology enthusiasts around the globe." In a piece published last week, redorbit reports that researchers "put an end to MRSA superbug after successful genome sequencing." 

In the story, Lawrence LeBlond writes:

Using the advanced DNA sequencing technology they were able to confirm the presence of an ongoing outbreak of MRSA in real time. Their efforts led to the stoppage of the outbreak, saving countless patients from further harm.

I don't know a lot about MRSA, but presumably doctors can spot the infection without sequencing the microbe's genes. Further down in the story, LeBlond reports that fast genome sequencing allowed doctors to see which cases of infection were caused by the same strain of the organism.

It seems something important happened here, but it's hard to tell from this story.

What is absolutely clear, however, is that genome sequencing did not "put an end to MRSA."

-Paul Raeburn

Thanks to Barbara Feder Ostrov, deputy editor at ReportingonHealth.org, for calling my attention to this story.