Antibiotic use likely fuelled the rise of a ‘superbug’ in NZ – genomics offers a defence against the next threat

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After a routine C-section at an Auckland hospital, a mother developed severe pain and what seemed like postnatal fatigue. It turned out to be an infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a “superbug” spreading across New Zealand and beyond.

Her story isn’t unique. In Dunedin, another mother was diagnosed with MRSA and internal bleeding postpartum.