Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston - io9 Comments

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

Mecharine — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 09:53:18 PST

I was about to go on a date on Friday......I dont want my Little Willy to rot away....

Mecharine

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

Fagatron — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 09:23:25 PST

@Annalee: I am a doctor...thanks.

Fagatron

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

Katana_Mind — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 01:52:25 PST

@Gann:
Because it has very little to do with anything.
If this malady affects anyone and not someone with a certain genetic makeup or a specific gender all you do when targeting a certain demo as the "source" of an outbreak is attatch stigma. And, if you're specifically talking about such a lambasted group as the HBT-gang [homo-, bi-, trans-] don't you think that this might play right into the hands of all the people that had issues with that group to begin with?
And for what?

All I'm saying is, that if this "outbreak" occurred somewhere in a white suburban area, do you think it had been reported as if it came from a homogenous group?
"White Christians carry flesh-eating virus!"

It i-s a headline I'd like to see, but, it doesn't seem likely.

Katana_Mind

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

vanderleun — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:41:34 PST

As you'd expect, the comment stream at the SFGate article is a battleground of hysteria, misinformation, and mind-eating bacteria.

vanderleun

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

Annalee Newitz — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:14:07 PST

@DoctorLou: Even the story you cite from the Chron states that the bacteria is resistant to virtually all antibiotics, and is about to become resistant to the only one they can currently treat it with. An actual doctor quoted in that article, instead of one with "doctor" as part of her internet name, says the bacteria is "virtually untreatable." How's that for hyperbolic?

Annalee Newitz

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

Fagatron — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 08:12:55 PST

Here is a real article about the bacteria...
[www.sfgate.com]

Fagatron

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

Fagatron — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 08:07:29 PST

Well this story is partially accurate. The strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus mentioned is in fact resistant to many antibiotic but not ALL as this hyperbolic article states. This strain remains susceptible to a very accessible and "old" antibiotic--Bactrim--as well as several others. Also, this infection is still quite rare compared to other common STDs. So, don't cancel your date on Friday night...just check for sores...

Fagatron

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

Tardigrade — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 08:06:13 PST

Oh God, I was hoping that this would be some tongue-in-cheek sci-fi thing.

"Durr durr durr It's only for Gays!" Now where have I heard THAT before?

Tardigrade

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

Gann — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 07:47:06 PST

@Katana_Mind: What's wrong with the media reporting the group/groups most affected or at risk from a certain disease? If I were a gay man living in one of those cities, I would want to know that I was at a greater risk than anyone else. To not report such statistics would be irresponsible.

Gann

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

krazykarot — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 07:42:10 PST

awesome. the fact that it will probably soon cross into the entire general population is yet one more reason to not make out with that guy across the bar.
the first reason being that his skin is falling off his face.

krazykarot

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

VAST — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 06:37:27 PST

.

... Dick ... Cheney

... and I mean that.

VAST

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

cmg — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 06:02:37 PST

@dirtybacon: Hey, I care about Philadelphia. And to think, I was going to start dating again. Maybe not so much...

cmg

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

SciFiCowboy — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 05:14:56 PST

Time to start touching myself again.

SciFiCowboy

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

Katana_Mind — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 02:03:43 PST

So, let me get this straight.
You get infected with the bug and it rots away your skin. Who's going to neck and smooch you then?
This infection will stop itself.
We can just burn the ones with the "mark of sex".

And, oh, this is another one of those "Gay diseases", so we probably want to burn a couple of those gays aswell.

And, for those of you not heavily into sarcasm, I'm not to fond of media attributing diseases to a specific demo when it has the ability to affect anyone.

Katana_Mind

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

MasterOfPastures — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:52:40 PST

@technobee: A couple of months back, it was discovered that aids arrived in the US through people emigrating from Haiti, which previously came from africa. You can imagine what that would have done to the south if it would have spread a little bit more.

MasterOfPastures

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

StrangestCreature — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 22:51:56 PST

I'm so glad I don't like touching people.

And also that I don't usually have sex. :P

StrangestCreature

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

tinymoves — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 22:26:47 PST

AAAHHHHH!!!!!!

tinymoves

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

tangledweb16_01 — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 22:23:52 PST

I'm not kidding when I say this, but this may very well be the beginning of the end of the world... and I'm only just now 17.

What a world...well, maybe it's for the best. I wouldn't mind a huge fucking asteroid right about now, although that isn't how the human race will become extinct. We'll die out slowly and painfully. Fates gonna draw this out for as long as possible.

But really...I guess you could say we deserve it.

God what's happening.

tangledweb16_01

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

Jonn — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 20:26:19 PST

Everyone stock up on shotguns and chainsaws.

Jonn

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

vanderleun — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 19:42:30 PST

"Saying that this is primarily a gay men's disease or sexually transmitted disease is incredibly dangerous."

Well, if you read the report and the other research papers you'll find that it is also true to an alarming extent. Indeed, the researchers are at pains to keep from saying that, but their numbers, statistics, case studies keep telling that tale. Others reporting this story, notably a radio report on NPR last night, were also bending over backwards to stay away from this conclusion -- citing an 81 year olf grandmother as their sign off.

The initial studies also tiptoe around the transmission of this disease via anal sex because that is also sort of taboo to mention. All very delicately done. You might thing it might just be something in the water.

I recall that when aids first began to be discussed one of the initial reactions of a lot of people in the gay community -- especially San Francisco -- resisted closing the bath house -- a major vector for the disease -- because of the "stigma." Result? Same stigma and a lot of gay men died too.

Again, the really dangerous things when it comes to the sources and origins of disease is to hide the truth. That's what really kills.

vanderleun

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

Marcus117 — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 19:27:21 PST

@RagingTowers: If you've been living in England you've probably been suffering from it for a while.

Marcus117

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

Ju-osh — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 19:22:00 PST

RAGINGTOWERS: "If you've been living in Virginia you've been fearing MRSA for a while"

Sounds like a license plate slogan to me.

Ju-osh

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

dirtybacon — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 19:21:04 PST

This is happening in Philadelphia, too. But, then again, know one cares about Philadelphia... not like stupid stuck up San Fran and BOSTON.

I'm not bitter.

dirtybacon

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

Iamtehawesome — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 19:13:15 PST

@kaosdevice:
I'm afraid to touch myself. :(

Iamtehawesome

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

EncephelanetRepairHelperGuy — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 18:31:51 PST

I'm just a Theorist. (french pronunciashawn)

EncephelanetRepairHelperGuy

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

hageesheart — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 18:13:36 PST

If I was a conspiracy theorist - and I'm not, I'm more of a conspiracy hobbyist - I could come up with a whopper with this. But, Occam's Razor, it's probably just funny ol' God, that murderous prankster.

hageesheart

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

Cacafuego — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:56:33 PST

Dick rot!

Cacafuego

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

RagingTowers — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:55:26 PST

If you've been living in Virginia you've been fearing MRSA for a while

RagingTowers

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

technobee — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:08:13 PST

Saying that this is primarily a gay men's disease or sexually transmitted disease is incredibly dangerous. Anyone can get staph, especially this kind. Remember two years ago when California has a bacteria outbreak at nail salons? It might not have been staph, but you want to make sure your nail salon is Howard Hughes clean.

technobee

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

kaosdevice — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:50:01 PST

I'm not touching anyone ever again.

kaosdevice

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

nymphy1 — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:41:03 PST

@hn333: A world without sex is a world I wouldn't want to live in.

nymphy1

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

hn333 — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:28:30 PST

Virgins will inherent the earth. Go Virgins !

hn333

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

MilesFromNowhere — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:59:37 PST

@aspiringexpatriate: Well fuck it then, carpe diem!

MilesFromNowhere

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

aspiringexpatriate — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:55:34 PST

Yay, superbugs.

Come on, we've still got 4 years until the end of the world.

aspiringexpatriate

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

MilesFromNowhere — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:52:58 PST

I am so glad my most sexually promiscuous years were in the 70's and that I live away from major population centers and that I am straight. If I were out and about these days I'd feel like I needed a full body condom. LOL My employees probably think I do anyway but for other reasons.

MilesFromNowhere

Flesh-Eating, Sexually-Transmitted Bacteria Hit San Francisco and Boston

92BuickLeSabre — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:40:50 PST

Sometimes truth is as scary as fiction.

92BuickLeSabre