Staph Infection

PORTLAND, Maine -- Growing numbers of Mainers are contracting a staph infection that is resistant to commonly used antibiotics. The infection, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, strikes an estimated 1.2 million people nationwide each year, resulting in death for tens of the thousands of the most vulnerable, according to a new study from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control & Epidemiology. In Maine, hundreds of people are infected with the bacterium.

Cepheid, which makes a rapid test for the drug-resistant staph infection known as MRSA, lowered its forecast for adjusted earnings in 2012 to between 50 cents and 55 cents per share. That's down from the Sunnyvale, Calif., company's previous projection of earnings of up to 60 cents per share. It posted a first-quarter loss of $5.5 million, or 8 cents per share, vs. net income of $500,000 or 1 cent, a year earlier.

WASHINGTON - Senator Robert C. Byrd, who has served in the Senate longer than anyone in history, has developed a staph infection that has prolonged his stay in a Washington-area hospital. Byrd's office said the West Virginia Democrat, hospitalized more than two weeks ago for an earlier infection, was being treated with antibiotics and was responding well. Staph infections differ in severity depending on the site of infection, but they are more of a threat to people with weakened immune systems and underlying chronic illnesses.

Doctors from the University of Massachusetts Medical School say they have discovered a 78-year-old strain of staph bacteria in the leg of a patient who was first treated for the infection in 1934. Doctors Dan Libratycq and Chinmay Patkarcq, along with Brenda Torrescq of UMass Memorial Healthcare, wrote in a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine that they believe the staphylococcus aureus cq bacteria that led to a fracture in the woman's femur in 2009 was not a new infection but a reactivation of the one she experienced as a child.

Atlanta left fielder Martin Prado has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a staph infection in his right calf. Prado had a procedure in Atlanta on Friday to clean out the infection. He is being treated with antibiotics. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez says he thinks the infection stemmed from a skin burn Prado got from a slide. Prado has missed the last two games with a sore left knee. The move is retroactive to Wednesday. Prado is batting .277 with eight home runs and 33 RBIs this season.

Doctors from the University of Massachusetts Medical School say they have discovered a 78-year-old strain of staph bacteria in the leg of a patient who was first treated for the infection in 1934. Doctors Dan Libratycq and Chinmay Patkarcq, along with Brenda Torrescq of UMass Memorial Healthcare, wrote in a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine that they believe the staphylococcus aureus cq bacteria that led to a fracture in the woman's femur in 2009 was not a new infection but a reactivation of the one she experienced as a child.

Cepheid, which makes a rapid test for the drug-resistant staph infection known as MRSA, lowered its forecast for adjusted earnings in 2012 to between 50 cents and 55 cents per share. That's down from the Sunnyvale, Calif., company's previous projection of earnings of up to 60 cents per share. It posted a first-quarter loss of $5.5 million, or 8 cents per share, vs. net income of $500,000 or 1 cent, a year earlier.

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Kelly Pavlik stopped Miguel Espino in the fifth round last night to defend his middleweight titles, ending a difficult year on a high note. After a 10-month layoff because of a staph infection on his left hand, the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organization champ dropped Espino to a knee in the fourth round with staggering rights. Pavlik knocked down Espino again in the fifth, and referee Steve Smoger stepped in at 1:44. It was the third successful title defense for Pavlik, who was back in his hometown on the campus of Youngstown State.

ST. LOUIS -- Jack Snow, a star wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams and a longtime team broadcaster, died Monday night, the team said. He was 62. Mr. Snow, the father of Red Sox first baseman J.T. Snow, had been hospitalized on and off for two months with a staph infection. "He was a great teammate, one of the hardest-working guys that I played with," Hall of Fame defensive end Deacon Jones said. "A terrible loss, a terrible shocker. Jack was a young man. " Mr. Snow was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1967 and still ranks among the team leaders in several...

ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. -- Ira McKissick Koger Jr., a real estate developer who helped pioneer the office park concept and became a leading contributor to the arts community, died Saturday of complications from a staph infection. He was 91. Mr. Koger began building suburban office parks in 1957, serving as chairman and chief executive of Koger Properties. The company produced more than 325 office buildings in 36 office parks in 23 cities throughout the Southeast and Southwest, yielding about $150 million in annual rent.

Hockey In another stunning blow to the NHL, Shea Weber, the leading scorer for the Nashville Predators and a Norris Trophy finalist last season, has a concussion and will miss tonight's game against the Minnesota Wild. A team spokesman said Weber will be evaluated daily, with no timetable for his return. Weber, a defenseman and the team captain, was hurt by a hit Friday night against Dallas. He was scratched Monday against Detroit. Weber, who has eight goals and 21 assists in 35 games, joins a disturbing list of concussed All-Stars on the sidelines that includes the Penguins' Sidney...

This is a story about a letter received by Globe Santa from a mother south of Boston asking for his help in providing gifts this Christmas for her 5-year-old daughter. What makes it particularly compelling is that the mother has been battling kidney and breast cancer and the father of the girl was recently left paralyzed from the waist down after falling from a tree. In the letter, the woman tells Santa that her battle with cancer began in June 2010 and that she had "my seventh surgery last month to remove the implant from my mastectomy reconstruction because I got a staph infection...

Eighteen stories above the base of Beacon Hill, Kristopher Sarno chewed on a T-bone steak, finished a Pepsi, and rearranged his Zdeno Chara shirt as the puck dropped last night for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Bruins emblems and streamers brightened the walls, and Sarno, 15, was all business as his team went to work. The fact he watched the game at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he arrived yesterday for more chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, did not dampen his enthusiasm.

Colleges The relationship between former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor and Dennis Talbott , a Columbus freelance photographer and businessman who allegedly gave him money for signed memorabilia, goes back to at least 2008, ESPN’s “Outside the Lines’’ reported yesterday. Pryor announced Tuesday he would give up his senior season with the Buckeyes in the midst of an NCAA investigation that had already led to a five-game suspension for him. ESPN reported a new allegation earlier this week that Pryor was paid $500 to $1,000 each time he...

Atlanta left fielder Martin Prado has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a staph infection in his right calf. Prado had a procedure in Atlanta on Friday to clean out the infection. He is being treated with antibiotics. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez says he thinks the infection stemmed from a skin burn Prado got from a slide. Prado has missed the last two games with a sore left knee. The move is retroactive to Wednesday. Prado is batting .277 with eight home runs and 33 RBIs this season.

PORTLAND, Maine — A strain of a drug-resistant skin disease that has afflicted sports teams, prisons, and military units is proving a persistent pest among lobstermen and their families on a Maine island. In the past two summers, more than 30 people on Vinalhaven Island have come down with painful and persistent skin infections that required repeated treatments with intravenous antibiotics for some of the victims, but medical authorities say there is no indication the germ is linked to lobsters.

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Kelly Pavlik hammered away with a flurry of uppercuts, then raised his hands and jumped into the arms of trainer Jack Loew. The WBC and WBO middleweight champion had successfully declared his return to boxing. “I’m definitely back,’’ Pavlik said. Pavlik stopped Miguel Espino in the fifth round Saturday night to defend his titles and end what has been a difficult year on a high note. After a 10-month layoff because of a staph infection on his left hand, Pavlik dropped Espino to a knee in the fourth round with staggering right uppercuts.

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Kelly Pavlik wants more than a victory when his long road back to the ring concludes tonight with his title defense against Miguel Espino. “He needs a knockout,’’ said Pavlik’s trainer, Jack Loew. “We have to go in there and dominate this kid and let everyone know we’re back.’’ Pavlik (35-1, 31 KOs) is the reigning World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organization middleweight champion, but his last 14 months have been littered with disappointing performances, two cancellations, and a severe staph infection in his hand that...

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Kelly Pavlik hammered away with a flurry of uppercuts, then raised his hands and jumped into the arms of trainer Jack Loew. The WBC and WBO middleweight champion had successfully declared his return to boxing. “I’m definitely back,’’ Pavlik said. Pavlik stopped Miguel Espino in the fifth round Saturday night to defend his titles and end what has been a difficult year on a high note. After a 10-month layoff because of a staph infection on his left hand, Pavlik dropped Espino to a knee in the fourth round with staggering right uppercuts.

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Kelly Pavlik stopped Miguel Espino in the fifth round last night to defend his middleweight titles, ending a difficult year on a high note. After a 10-month layoff because of a staph infection on his left hand, the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organization champ dropped Espino to a knee in the fourth round with staggering rights. Pavlik knocked down Espino again in the fifth, and referee Steve Smoger stepped in at 1:44. It was the third successful title defense for Pavlik, who was back in his hometown on the campus of Youngstown State.