A deadly strain of the superbug MRSA which can lead to a flesh-eating form of pneumonia has emerged.
Research suggests it may be more prevalent among the gay community - the gay San Francisco district of Castro appears to have been hardest hit.
So far only two cases of the new form of the USA300 strain of the bug have been recorded in the UK.
It is not usually contracted in hospitals, but in the community - often by casual contact.
The new strain is resistant to treatment by many front-line antibiotics.
It causes large boils on the skin, and in severe cases can lead to fatal blood poisoning or necrotising pneumonia, which eats away at the lungs.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7188741.stm
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