|
So-called superbacteria in Korea that are resistant to antibiotics originated in Japan, a study says. Song Jae-hoon and Ko Kwan-soo of Sungkyunkwan University¡¯s School of Medicine found that genes of the variety of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) here originated in Japan. The two released their study in the U.S. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on Tuesday.
Superbacteria are created when pathogenic germs mutate as a result of abuse of antibiotics. The research team analyzed 135 varieties of MRSA genes collected from 22 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas, discovering that MRSA in Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong originated in Japan.
"In the process of the research, we found that the MRSA issue caused by the abuse of antibiotics is never a matter of a single country,¡± Ko said. ¡°So we need international cooperation to handle the issue of antibiotic abuse."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
|
