Staph germ causes deadly pneumonia

A nasty staph germ circulating in the community and some hospitals produces a poison that can kill pneumonia patients within 72 hours, researchers have reported.

Staphylococcus aureus bacteria -- staph for short -- can pass one another the gene for the toxin and are apparently swapping it more often, the researchers reported in the Jan. 19 issue of the journal Science.

The toxin, called Panton Valentine leukocidin, or PVL, can itself cause pneumonia and can kill healthy tissue.

Luckily, people infected with the bacteria quickly develop a high fever and astute doctors can identify it, said Gabriela Bowden of the Texas A&M; Health Science Center in Houston, who led the study.

“This is a scary situation. We are trying to put the word out and to educate people about it,” Bowden said in a telephone interview.

S. aureus is the most common cause of hospital-acquired infections, and can cause inflammation of the heart, toxic-shock syndrome and meningitis.