Combatting the bug

The University of Hull and the Hull York Medical School have joined forces with medical device giant, Smith & Nephew Medical, to pioneer a dressing with anti-MRSA properties.

MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) has become the scourge of hospitals for a number of years. It is a bacterium from the staphylococcus aureus (SA) family and one in three people carry it on the surface of their skin without developing an infection. If SA gets into the body through a break in the skin it can cause infections. The problem is that while it can be mostly treated with antibiotics, MRSA has become increasingly anti-biotic resistant.

Those in hospitals are more likely to develop MRSA infections because they often have an entry point for the bacteria to get into the body, such as a wound. Around 100,000 people acquire the infection each year, and with the number of MRSA infections increasing across the world, research into combating the so-called ‘super bug’ has never been more important.