HIV Digest	HIV Digest Archive

Large, painful skin infections started turning up early last fall among Los Angeles gay men, then appeared with increasing frequency. It took a while to confirm a connection between the cases, but doctors now know they are facing an emerging epidemic of drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or staph.

The infection, which causes boils, deep abscesses and widespread surrounding inflammation, has proved impervious to common antibiotics. Although it appears to be spread primarily by skin-to-skin contact, including sex, its origins and precise mode of transmission remain a mystery.

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Staphylococcus aureus lives on the skin's surface, usually existing harmlessly. Infections typically start in a cut or other opening. But the infections in L.A. gay men-- the majority with well-controlled HIV/AIDS, but many others in good health-- took hold in unbroken skin.

A medical epidemiologist with the Los Angeles County Health Department who is leading the investigation stressed that until an investigation reveals how the infections are being spread, anyone with a boil or skin infection should maintain good hygiene, washing towels and anything else that comes into contact with infected areas. Any skin infection that looks aggressive should be examined and cultured by a doctor. And, anyone prescribed antibiotics must complete the full course even if they start feeling better.

Editor's Note: from the Los Angeles Times