FoxNews reports that federal health officials are worried about a new superbug that's been showing up in people sporting illegal tattoos. The superbug, which has been traditionally found in prison inmates and athletes, has affected forty-four people who were tattoo customers in Ohio, Kentucky, and Vermont back in 2004 and 2005.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the unlucky customers developed skin infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The infections were traced to 13 unlicensed tattoo artists, according to an article in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Dr. Mysheika LeMaile-Williams, one of the co-authors of the report, says that these are the first documented cases of MRSA infections caused by tattoos.

MRSA is a nasty antibiotic-resistant bug that fights off the body's immune system and destroys tissues. The community-associated variety, which is what afflicted the tattoo customers, has also been found in athletes, military recruits, and prisoners. The infection can be spread by contact with oozing sores or by touching contaminated surfaces. MRSA infections are usually mild, but they can lead to more serious illnesses, such as pneumonia, bloodstream infections, or even necrotizing fasciitis.

Although Ohio, Kentucky, and Vermont all require tattoo artists to be licensed, the customers who developed MRSA, several of whom were under 18, all visited unlicensed artists. According to the article, the unlicensed tattoo artists did not work in traditional tattoo parlors. Instead, they worked out of their homes, or in one case, a public park. They did not always practice good hygiene. Some of the artists eschewed using gloves and face masks, did not properly disinfect their clients' skin, or use clean equipment. One artist even fashioned his own tattoo gun, using a computer ink-jet cartridge and guitar strings!

This is one instance in which I'm really glad I never succumbed to peer pressure when I was a kid. Evidently, unlicensed tattoo artists' best customers are minors who can't visit licensed tattoo parlors without their parents' consent and those who don't have the money to pay a licensed tattooist.

About the author: In her spare time, knotheadus writes for Epinions.com and maintains her own Web site, knot-heads.com.