Numerous people have an aversion to frogs partly due of the popular, albeit misguided and false, belief that touching them will give them warts. Other people simply have no desire to come in contact with their slimy and bumpy skin.

That skin, however, may be just what the doctor ordered when it comes to treating certain types of difficult infections, particularly Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.

It turns out that the skin of several species of frogs has been found to contain hundreds chemical compounds that have the ability to kill bacteria. The goal of current research is to modify these compounds to make them more tolerable for human treatment.

The desire to exploit the potential healing properties of frog skin is not a new one, but the process has been hampered by the fact that the compounds are either too toxic for human use or they are rendered inactive by the body.

To get around this problem, researchers have identified key components in the skin and then altered their molecular structure to lessen their toxicity while also making them more resilient to breakdown once inside the body. The goal is to obtain a substance that will be ready for clinical trials within five years.

Scientists look to frogs as a source for microbicides because they represent ideal candidates for the study of drug development. The reason for this is because they have been around for hundreds of millions of years and have subsequently adapted to survive exposure to these potentially disease-causing pathogens.

MRSA is an increasingly problematic bacteria that results in infections that are difficult to treat because they resist the healing effects of commonly used antibiotics that include penicillin and amoxicillin.

MRSA is not generally found naturally in the environment (i.e., the soil, lakes, or oceans), so its spread occurs mainly through contact with an infected person or personal items such as towels or bandages that carry the bacteria. As a result, transmission often occurs in places where people are in close contact with each other like locker rooms, schools, hospitals, or daycare facilities.

Even if you come in contact with a surface that carries MRSA, that does not mean that you will contract it. Infection primarily occurs through an open cut or scrape. For this reason, properly dressing a wound is a good way to prevent giving or receiving the bacteria, as well as good hygiene after coming in contact with other people's skin.

If you have questions or concerns, speak with your primary care physician. For more information about MRSA, visit the website for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).