Q: Did “superbugs” evolve?

Q: Did “superbugs” evolve?

A: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has captured national headlines. In the fall of 2007, the CDC (Center for Disease Control in Atlanta) reported that deaths due to MRSA were greater than those caused by AIDS. MRSA is rapidly becoming one of the most prevalent and menacing diseases of our time and increases the risk of time spent in a hospital.

MRSA are bacteria that represent “new” strains of antibiotic resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Although the media discusses MRSA as a single new strain, in reality MRSA represents more than 1100 distinct strains of S. aureus. S. aureus causes many diseases, including skin boils, infection of leg ulcers, and pressure sores. Occasionally, it can cause more serious disorders such as blood poisoning (septicemia), pneumonia, or bone, joint, or heart valve infection. What makes MRSA bacteria deadly is their resistance to penicillin and its derivatives.

Methicillin is a penicillin derivative that was issued in clinics in most countries in 1959–60, but its use was discontinued after 1961 due to resistant strains appearing. Unfortunately, resistance has increased dramatically since 2000. These bacteria are now categorized as Hospital-Associated MRSA (HA-MRSA) and Community-Associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) depending upon the disease acquisition location.

Yet, we read in Genesis Chapter 1 that God made everything “very good.” If everything that God made was good, where did MRSA come from? What is the origin of this frightening germ? Where does MRSA or “Super Staph” fit in to the creation account? Were they created along with the rest of the life in the first week of Creation or were they created later—after the Fall? Is MRSA a result of the “Curse”? These and other questions have been asked by professional creation microbiologists. Their answers may surprise you.

Read the latest Answers In Depth paper, by Liberty University biologist Dr. Alan L. Gillen: The Genesis of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Petition for Genesis

Are you a young-earth creationist with a graduate degree in theology or biblical studies? Have you signed our “Affirmations and Denials” document from the book Coming to Grips with Genesis? If not, and you want to learn more, check this out!

News to Note Quick Look

When do false dichotomies ever mesh?: In covering a visit by paleontologists to our Creation Museum, the New York Times spreads misunderstanding. Read more.

One blood, three sons: A new genetic study of 53 human populations shows that each falls into one of three genetic groups—yet that the three groups aren’t as different as was thought. The legacy of Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Noah’s three sons), perhaps? Read more.

Also: The Mummy: Tomb of the Fossilized Hadrosaur; Piranha: Before the Fall; Equivocation over “evolution”; and don’t miss . . . . Read more.

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Answers ... with Ken Ham radio program

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Fossil footprints—why are they disappearing?

After Eden

This information was provided by Answers In Genesis, an excellent source of material relating to Creation and evolution. Please visit their website using the link in the upper left.