MRSA, Mersa, Staph, Staff Infection, Treatment & Symptoms

Gym wants long sleeve shirt rule to prevent MRSA

Rec. Center shirt policy to take effect in spring | The Sentinel.

The Student Recreation Center will require students to wear shirts with sleeves on all weight lifting equipment and mats beginning in spring 2010. The Sentinel Students pump iron in the Recreation Center. A new policy regarding gym attire will take effect in spring. Photo by Karlee Gonzalez. The Sentinel Students pump iron in the Recreation Center. A new policy regarding gym attire will take effect in spring. Photo by Karlee Gonzalez. Shirts will not be required on the treadmills and other cardiovascular equipment. The purpose of the new policy is to help prevent the spread of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a bacteria that causes infections that are difficult to treat, according to Donald Brookshire, assistant director of The Student Recreation Center.

MRSA plagues Storm football

MRSA plagues Storm football - News.

Yet another infectious scare has Simpson campus on alert. Six Simpson football players have been diagnosed with MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), a type of staph infection. "We intend to take this situation very seriously," Athletic Director John Sirianni said. "We have worked closely with the necessary people, developed a plan, and we are taking immediate action to stop the spread of this infection. The kids' health is our number one concern." MRSA is particularly more dangerous than other types of staph infections because of its resistance to antibiotics, including methicillin, oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin.

MRSA and Sport - The Overview

The place of sport in spreading MRSA (mersa infection) is twofold. Sport often creates the small cuts that allow the drug resistant bacteria to flourish inside a wound. The bacteria may have colonised the person in many other contexts but the wound allows the bacteria to move from benign to active. The culture of the changing room with shared facilities, casual use of others towels, skin to surface contact can also make sporting facilities an infection 'hotspot'.

The links below will take you to the new easier to navigate version of this site and over 145 MRSA Sport related stories. Or you can scroll down this page for story summaries in a single page format.

Sport specific news pages
MRSA and Wrestling

MRSA Patient Losowski's back on the ice

Rome Observer - Losowski's back on the ice.

A little over a year ago, 12-year-old Roman Justin Losowski began fighting a mysterious infection that started with an open wound on his ankle. He was diagnosed with what is known as MRSA, a very dangerous and potentially fatal staff infection. The past year has been a roller coaster ride for Justin, his family and the many friends who stood by the Losowski's during this crisis. Things are looking good as of right now and as per Lori's request, we will indeed keep praying that things continue to go well for young Justin. Skate hard kid!

Gym Users Slack Over Hygiene?

Daily Egyptian.

Paper towel dispensers and bottles of cleanser hang in the Recreation Center for people to clean the exercise equipment they use. But in some cases, the cleanser remains unused as the next, unsuspecting students prepare for their workout. An unscientific Daily Egyptian study found that roughly half of the people who work out at the Recreation Center do not use anti-bacterial cleaners to sanitize equipment after they are done exercising. Alexxa Condon, a junior from Joliet studying political science and business administration, said she is concerned about the infections that can be transmitted as a result.

6 Ways to Avoid Infections at the Gym

6 Ways to Avoid Infections at the Gym - On Fitness (usnews.com).

Doctors say the benefits of exercise far outweigh the small chance of acquiring staph or another infection at the gym or in the course of your fitness routine. And, they say, you can take some common-sense steps to protect yourself: * Make sure the equipment is clean. Most exercisers won't have a lot of intimate contact with other gym-goers. But they will use the same exercise balls, spinning bikes, and weight machines. Gyms are supposed to regularly clean off the equipment, but you should take your own precautions. "Emphasize hygiene as much as you can," says Richard Wenzel, chair of the department of internal medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University and expert on antibiotic-resistant infections. Wiping a machine off with a hand towel is not sufficient. Many gyms have their own disposable wipe dispensers. If yours doesn't, you can buy your own wipes; anything with at least 60 percent alcohol is ideal.

Professional Sports Teams Should Use MRSA Screening

Professional Sports Teams Should Use MRSA Screening and Other Aggressive Methods to Prevent Staph Infections - MarketWatch.

"The NFL and other professional sports organizations should be using the most effective tool to protect their players from Staph infections, MRSA screening," says Betsy McCaughey, Ph.D., Chairman of the not-for-profit Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths (RID), whose advisory board includes NFL-team physicians. Today, RID is releasing a new 12-Step brochure that explains how screening and other precautions can eradicate MRSA from a sports team's environment. The brochure is being sent to all NFL teams. Players can be carriers of the MRSA germ without realizing it. The germ doesn't make them sick until it gets inside their body, usually via a cut or turf burn.

Will MRSA change sport choices?

Will MRSA change sport choices? | ZDNet Healthcare | ZDNet.com.

The NFL is going through a rash of rashes. It’s serious. Bacteria resistant to antibiotics, new strains of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) are hitting our favorite athletes. Tom Brady (right), Peyton Manning and Kellen Winslow are just some of the stars laid low. But this is not just about our Sunday heroes. It’s also about your kids and your choices for them. Are they still ready for some football? MRSA is getting nastier because there are now multiple strains of it, and because football is a game where cuts are common. So-called community MRSA is caught in the locker room, then mixes with the nastier type in a hospital when you go in for treatment.

Martial arts MRSA risk

Link: Ask the Doc: The dangers of shin conditioning and MRSA skin infections | MMAjunkie.com.

Is there a downside? You bet. Injuries can include cuts, abrasions, skin infections, stress fractures, ligament and tendon injury and broken bones. The most concerning potential problem is applying this technique to the growing bones of very young children. Fortunately, children are very resilient but not indestructible. As we've discussed before, growing bones have growth plates that do not tolerate injury well. Repetitive trauma from kicking that bag all day can cause the growth plate to close early and stunt growth. Q. What is a "mersa" infection? Is it a big deal? Why are gyms so freaked out about them? A. I dare you to ask Diego Sanchez if MRSA skin infections are a big deal. Go on – I dare you. (Just kidding. Don't do it. That's a bad man.) MRSA (methicillin-resistant staph aureus) is a super-bug (bacteria) that is not susceptible to common first-line antibiotics. The common version of this bacteria (staph aureus) is normally found almost everywhere (check your nose) and usually not a big deal for young healthy people. But due to the overuse of antibiotics, the common version got smart and mutated to a strain that – as you can see – is very aggressive, easily transmitted by contact and hard to treat. Unfortunately, just attacking MRSA with bigger guns (stronger antibiotics) gives it a chance to one day mutate into a Godzilla that we may have no answer for. So as doctors, we would prefer to stop its spread and contain it rather than treat it. Wrestling (including all common grappling styles in MMA, jiu jitsu, etc.) gyms are the perfect breeding grounds and thus ground zero. These facilities are usually kept very warm, have sweaty mats from intense training, and by definition require close sustained bodily contact. In this setting a scrape, pimple or simple hair bump can go bad very quickly. What can we do to protect ourselves? Shower with anti-bacterial soap (Dial) immediately after practice (a bit controversial but currently the CDC standard). Do not wait until you get home. Practice good mat hygiene. The mat and all surfaces, including equipment, should be mopped or wiped down before and after each practice with a mild, diluted Clorox solution (or other appropriate widely available antibacterial cleaning solution) then be allowed to dry thoroughly. Once dry the mat should then be mopped with clean water to remove any residue. Every gym should maintain multiple, readily available dispensers of hand sanitizer and encourage/mandate its use. (If you must ask someone for it, that's not readily available.) Last but not least, develop a fetish about checking your skin for any type of scrape, scratch, bump or insect bite.

MRSA early detection can help

Link: Casa Grande Valley Newspapers Inc..

"...most MRSA infections can be treated even without antibiotics, particularly if they are detected early enough." Compared to the usual aches, pains and bruises he felt the day after a conference football game, Jason thought the sore on his knee was a trivial matter. At first, he assumed it was a pimple or maybe an insect bite. When it was hurting, festering and oozing a week later, he saw his doctor who sent him to the hospital for treatment of MRSA.

Local High School Student Dies From MRSA

Link: cbs3.com - Local High School Student Dies From MRSA.

A Philadelphia public high school student died earlier this week of a confirmed case of MRSA, the school district announced. Saalen Jones, a senior at Martin Luther King High, passed away Tuesday at Albert Einstein Medical Center. Jones, 17, was a cornerback for the Martin Luther King football team. It was not immediately known how Jones was exposed to the bacteria. The following statement was released by the Board of Directors of the Oak Lane Youth Association regarding Jones' passing: "The Board of Directors of the Oak Lane Youth Association would like to pass along our condolences and prayers to the family of Saalen Jones. Saalen passed away suddenly on Tuesday, September 23, 2008. Saalen was a dedicated member of the Oak Lane family, who will be remembered for his fearless and selfless play on the field, and his great leadership and determination off of the field. Funeral arrangements will be posted as soon as they become available."

Don't Skimp On The Gym Because Of MRSA?

Link: Don't Skimp On The Gym Because Of MRSA.

"Trips to the gym, meant to help keep people in shape, should never turn into events that could be harmful to your body," says Dr. Ron Najafi, an expert in antibiotic resistant bacteria. Dr. Najafi believes that surveillance, hygiene, and the will to prevent transmission are the keys to curtailing the spread of MRSA. "People need to educate themselves about MRSA and be familiar with where and how it spreads so they can actively avoid contracting this deadly staph infection," says Dr. Najafi, CEO of NovaBay Pharmaceuticals. NovaBay is a biotech company that has developed a compound, NVC-422, which has shown promise in combating numerous pathogens including MRSA and is being developed to prevent infections in hospitals and to treat eye and skin infections. Dr. Najafi offers the following suggestions concerning how to protect oneself from MRSA at the gym:

Athletes’ superficial skin infection may actually be CA-MRSA

Link: Athletes’ seemingly innocuous superficial skin infection may actually be CA-MRSA.

“In wound management … inspect athletes with suspicious lesions often,” but wear gloves when doing this, Dorshimer said. “When it is not healing in a timely fashion … get more suspicious for the presence of MRSA.” He recommended circling and measuring suspicious lesions and re-measuring them every day to see if they have grown. To encourage draining, cover wounds with warm compresses or open them surgically or with a scalpel. Then manage the athlete with oral or timed intravenous antibiotics, Dorshimer said The antibiotics prescribed should be dictated by the organism’s susceptibility profile from culture results, according to the CDC Web site. Among antibiotics indicated for CA-MRSA, Bactrim (sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim) has shown effectiveness and some evidence suggests chlorhexidine baths alone or in combination with other treatments can help decrease skin carriage, Weber said.

MRSA risk factors for athletes

Link: TheCabin.net ·· High schools on watch for football staph infection 08/10/08.

According to studies of some Texas high schools, football players are two to three times more likely than others to become infected with MRSA, a form of staph infection resistant to common antibiotics. If the bacteria enter a person's blood stream, MRSA can turn deadly. MRSA, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, infections have been found in hospitals for decades, but have become increasingly common in recent years. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study last year found the bacterium kills nearly 19,000 Americans a year. According to a 2004 study of teams from South Texas including Houston and San Antonio, 73 schools reported 81 MRSA infections in its 10,186 football players. That's a rate three times higher than volleyball players, trainers, managers and coaches in those schools. A similar 2005 study found Texas football players were two times more likely to contract MRSA than those who compete in wrestling. - Advertisement - Football players are at higher risk than those in other sports because football is a group-contact game.

Downey Family's Tragedy Saves A Life

Link: Downey Family's Tragedy Saves A Life - Press-Telegram.

When 17-year-old Downey High wrestler Noah Armendariz died of staph infection last month, his family said they wanted to tell his story to help others. The story did just that. Dr. Tempe Chen, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Miller Children's Hospital, said a woman reading about Armendariz's death in the Press-Telegram noticed her 8-year-old nephew had similar symptoms. She brought the boy to the hospital, where he tested positive for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA - a staph superbug that is resistant to some antibiotics. It was the same disease died from. The boy was treated and is doing fine, the doctor said. "It's good to hear that," said mother, Cynthia Magaña. "That makes me feel good. Even if we can save just one." On Saturday, Magaña and the Downey High wrestling team held a car wash at the school to raise money for Armendariz Armendariz's Armendariz's funeral expenses. He was buried Friday at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier.

MRSA Infections 16 times higher among US football players

Link: MRSA Infections Becoming Commonplace Among Texas High School Football Players.

Infection with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is 16 times higher than the national average among Texas high school football players, according to three studies conducted by the Texas Department of Health Services. MRSA infection rates are higher among football players than among other athletes, perhaps because football players are more likely to get minor skin abrasions when they slide in the turf. A totally of 276 football players in the United States contracted the disease between 2003 and 2005, translating to 517 out of every 100,000. This contrasts sharply with the overall national rate of 32 per 100,000.

US Football Taking MRSA Action

Link: GoErie.com: Defend against MRSA.

It's a fact of football life. Offensive linemen get bloody hands. Scraped and torn knuckles are common when you use your hands to block pass rushers. At Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, linemen used to ignore their wounds or rubbed dirt in them. Now athletic trainers stand nearby, ready to clean the cuts and scrapes, coat them in antibiotic cream and bandage them. It's just one way football is dealing with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, better known as MRSA. "It's a concern. People have to realize MRSA is more prevalent than it used to be," said Gary Hanna, Edinboro's head athletic trainer. "It's not some exotic disease."

Teen Wrestler Dies From MRSA Infection

Link: cbs2.com - Teen Wrestler Dies From MRSA Infection.

A 17-year-old high school wrestler died and another teammate is battling a drug-resistant staph infection Thursday. Noah Armendariz, a student at Downey High School who contracted the infection after returning from wrestling camp in Lake Arrowhead, died Sunday from complications. "He was a very tough guy," Armendariz's older brother told CBS2. "He got big out of nowhere -- got bigger than me. He had the brains. He had the brawn." Armendariz came down with a fever two days after returning from camp last month, and later developed a rash. He was hospitalized after being home for only four days.

Artificial Turf An MRSA Risk

Link: Alameda Sun - The Grass is Always Greener.

In fact, a very thorough exploration of this topic by a concerned young blogger at ProgressiveKid, named Sarah, turned up these facts: "A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control found that athletes who had suffered artificial turf burns were seven times more likely to develop MRSA infection. The reason is partly that the burns open the skin to the opportunity for infection. But many studies, most notably the study conducted by the Journal of Clinical Microbiology in 2000, have found that MRSA survives better on artificial turf than on other surfaces. Specifically, the staphylococcus survives longest, up to 90 days, on polyethylene plastic, which is a plastic used in synthetic turf fibers."

Sports shops buy MRSA cleaning gear

Link: Castlegar News - Your Best source for Local Community News delivered in print or online.

Mallards Source for Sports is the only holder, in the west Kootenay, thus far, of the Sani Sport, a revolutionary machine which sanitizes sports equipment. Dale Donaldson owner of Mallards said the machine can clean ski boots, shoes, fire fighter and RCMP gear or anything that comes into contact with bacteria. Donaldson bought the $15,000 machine because many of his customers had been asking about it. Smelly gear equals bacteria which could and has lead to infections such as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This infection, if not treated properly can lead to athletes acquiring serious life threatening illnesses. In 2003 a Pennsylvania football player died from MRSA. An article printed in 2004 in Men’s Health, stated that the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) placed the number of people hospitalized with MRSA annually at approximately 100,000.