Japanese researcher Masahiro Suzuki with the Aichi Prefectural Institute of Public Health in Nagoya said frequent use of over-the-counter triple antibiotic ointments available in the United States, such as Neosporin and Polysporin, could make strains of the MRSA infection impervious to these treatments. Ointments of this kind have widespread use only in the United States.
After testing 259 strains of MRSA—a type of Staphylococcus infection that generally surfaces in the skin—for bacitracin and neomycin, researchers found that there may be a link between these two common ingredients for over-the-counter ointments and the growth of antibiotic-resistant MRSA. The infection is already resistant to common treatments such as penicillin and amoxicillin.
The USA300 strain of MRSA is currently being monitored for this effect. According to Suzuki, the infection can still be treated with vancomycin, but doctors should be aware that ointment may not be effective.
Experts say the infection rate is declining domestically, although it has been a problem in hospitals for decades and about 1.5 percent of Americans are carriers of the bacteria.
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