How to deal with the increasing Threat of Staph Infections

“Alarmed” is a bit of an understatement to describe the doctor’s reaction to seeing the pus-filled wounds resembling black holes an inch deep on the back of Jeremy Schnitz’s leg. Jeremy was immediately referred to a surgeon at a local children’s hospital, where it was discovered that the boy had contracted a bacteria called Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. Jeremy’s mother was told that her son’s condition would have to be carefully treated and monitored and that there was a possibility that his leg might need to be amputated. But Jeremy was lucky.

After weeks of drug therapy, taking diluted bleach baths, washing with antibacterial soap, and daily cleaning with scalding hot water every sheet and piece of clothing Jeremy touched, his wounds finally healed. As an everlasting reminder of his ordeal, Jeremy was left with two bullet-sized scars on the back of his leg. Although Jeremy’s case may sound like an implausible plotline for a disease-of-the-week TV drama, MRSA is a very real threat. Its victims include those who participate in sports and physical education programs, and the problem is getting worse. Why? Because traditional forms of dealing with this form of “staph infection” are not just inadequate: They don’t work.

A Brief History of Staph Up until the last decade, staph infections were mainly confined to the cramped quarters and shared facilities of such institutions as prisons and hospitals. And although antiseptics and antibiotics are heavily used in hospitals, staph can get out of hand; and it’s not surprising to learn that hospitals harbor the more stubborn forms of staph, such as MRSA. In the past, staph infections were relatively rare, easily treated with antibiotics, and often resulted only in mild skin problems such as pimples or boils. But the bacteria have evolved.

Today, 60 percent of all skin and soft-tissue infections treated in emergency rooms are caused by staph; and the percentage of MRSA cases increased 22 percent from 1995 to 2004.

How to deal with the increasing threat of staph infections aware of the problem of MRSA as it relates to the athletic community. “The magnitude of this problem is on the mind of every athlete physician and trainer in the nation,” says Dr. Rod Walters, a former sports medicine doctor at the University Figure1. Staph infections, such as the one shown here, are an increasing of South Carolina who conducts health threat in physical education MRSA education classes across the because these bacteria are becoming nation. “MRSA is a major problem increasingly resistance to antibiotics.

that needs the cooperation, awareness and involvement of the entire athletic Currently, the CDC estimates community.” that the number of people now being Unfortunately, much of the health hospitalized with MRSA each year has community remains ignorant of the risen to 130,000! But the problem may threat of MRSA. Public-health officials be worse than these statistics indicate, have warned for years that the overuse as a study published in the June 2007 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine of antibiotics can lead to drug-resistant stated that the prevalence of MRSA is as bacteria, and it is costly and timeconsuming to develop new drugs to much as 11 times greater than previous treat staph.

Also, testing for MRSA estimates have suggested. may not be covered by health insurance Staph can be contracted from sharing personal items, such as razors and providers, so many doctors and hospital workers don’t routinely administer it. towels, and can enter the bloodstream and infect such areas as the lungs, bones, joints, heart, blood and central nervous Fighting the Good Fight system. Staph also has been linked to Against MRSA pneumonia and the rarer but potentially Knowledge is key in prevention. fatal condition called toxic shock The Center for Disease Control syndrome (Figure 1).

(CDC) offers the following tips for Information on different cases of microbial safety: s+EEPYOURHANDSCLEANBYWASHING MRSA is limited because the federal them thoroughly with soap and water government and most states don’t s +EEPCUTSANDSCRAPESCLEANAND require doctors to report it. But some covered with a bandage until healed of the reports coming in are shocking. s!VOIDCONTACTWITHOTHERPEOPLES In 2004 there were reports of 81 cases wounds or bandages of MRSA infections in football teams s!VOIDSHARINGPERSONALITEMSSUCHAS in Denton County and Pasadena in towels or razors South Texas.

However, the problem is s2EGULARLYCLEANSURFACESOFGYM attracting considerable media attention equipment with disinfectant before and after use because many professional athletes have been contracting MRSA. For example, Though these steps are helpful, in a two-year period the Washington some experts believe that simply Redskins reported five cases; and Sammy cleaning surfaces may be ineffective, as Sosa of the Baltimore Orioles missed 16 the bacteria can be transferred within games in 2005 due to MRSA. minutes to the same surface.

There is, As the numbers of infections rise, however, advanced technology available health officials are becoming more to help reduce and control the spread of staph, MRSA and other bacteria in the sports arena. To deal with their MRSA problem, the Redskins and other sports teams have enlisted the help of SportCoatings™ in Rochester Hills, Michigan. This company has developed a system to inhibit and defend against microbial contamination on all sport surfaces (Figure 2). With MRSA becoming more prevalent in athletics and the community as a whole, experts agree that this health epidemic is not one to be taken lightly. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”

is just as true today as it was in Ben Franklin’s time. Awareness is more vital now than ever before. MRSA may be resistant to many drugs, but it is not resistant to prevention.

Figure 2. On a microscropic level, the treatment developed by SportCoatings™ bonds to the surface and creates a matrix of positively charged sword-shaped molecules. Upon direct contact, the membrane of the microbe is physically ruptured by a stabbing and electrocution action. Since the treatment is not consumed or dissipated, it remains active 24/7.

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From BFS Magazine — September/October 2007. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).