A man admitted Friday to the Kent County Jail complained about boils on his skin, and while lab tests aren't back, jail officials suspect he has a staph infection that has plagued groups ranging from inmates to athletes.

The sometimes deadly infection is known as MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Little is known about MRSA, other than it is resistant to antibiotics. And it is becoming more widespread -- especially in jails and other places where people share close quarters.

In Kent County, medical staff since February have treated several MRSA cases at the jail, said Sgt. Larry Quakkelaar, a jail shift supervisor.

The inmate admitted Friday is in isolation "just to be on the safe side," Quakkelaar said.

"He's isolated ... so if it is MRSA it doesn't spread to other inmates," Quakkelaar said. "But we've had other cases -- men and women -- in the last two months." None required hospitalization.

Kent County jail inmates are "given pointers about what the infection looks like and how it can be avoided, Quakkelaar said.

"We're telling staff to wear gloves to pat down inmates, and we're telling inmates, don't share your washcloth, your towel, your toothbrush or your shaver," Quakkelaar said. "And wash your hands frequently."

MRSA is a skin and soft tissue infection. It is also found in some pneumonias, said Dr. Lilly Immergluck, an infectious disease specialist at DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids.

Widespread global use of antibiotics has allowed these strains to become resistant to drugs.

Two inmates at the Calhoun County Jail died March 1 of MRSA-related pneumonia.

Muskegon County has reported more than 40 cases since October, including two people who may have gotten the bacteria while using a public hot tub or pool.

At least one Muskegon County resident died after contracting a similar drug-resistant staph infection, according to local health officials. The elderly, terminally-ill man died after developing an infection.

It has also turned up on athletic teams, among Marine recruits, and in hospitals and nursing homes. Five players for the St. Louis Rams were infected in 2003.

The staph infection has two strains: One picked up in hospitals and the other in the community.

In hospitals, it is most likely to strike those already in a weakened state. It is suspected of causing two million infections and 88,000 deaths worldwide each year, figures show.

The community-acquired infection is appearing in healthy people as well as those with weakened immune systems, Immergluck said.

The bacteria enters the body through tiny openings in the skin. Once in the bloodstream it can cause skin abscesses, bone infections and also a deadly pneumonia. Left untreated, it can progress to necrotising fascitis, known as "flesh-eating disease."

Doctors and hospitals aren't required to report single cases of MRSA, so it's impossible to get accurate figures about prevalence, said T.J. Bucholz, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Community Health. However, health officials do report outbreaks or clusters of cases.

"We know anecdotally, though, that we are hearing of more cases now," Bucholz said.

There are no plans to add MRSA to the list of reportable diseases, a list compiled by the Centers for Disease Control.

Meanwhile, a state panel studying the risks of getting community-acquired MRSA may have a preliminary study report this summer, said Dawn Sievert, an epidemiologist with the Michigan Department of Community Health.

"We're trying to decide the best way to handle this without overburdening hospitals and doctors' offices," Sievert said.

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