Irish Scientists Make MRSA Breakthrough
Updated : May 28, 2009
Irish scientists have made a breakthrough in the fight against hospital-acquired infections such as MRSA.
The scientists based at UCD, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University, have cracked the genetic code of several fungal species which cause hospital-acquired bloodstream infections in patients with suppressed immune systems.
The researchers have uncovered the 'sticky' genetic nature of pathogenic fungi known as Candida parapsilosis.
The hospital-acquired bloodstream infection caused by Candida parapsilosis can lead to deep infections in body tissues and wounds, and almost 30pc of patients who acquire these infections die as a result.
The scientists' findings, which were published in the journal Nature, said that the fungi has the ability to stick to hands and medical devices, from where it enters the patient's bloodstream.
