Stopping Staph in its tracks

“But mom – what about staph?”

Stopping staph in its tracks BY KIM GOSS Resident Evil 6: Infection “In a world where no one was safe from the undead carrying the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium, scientists worked frantically to find a cure. But because the bacterium was resistant to all standard antibiotics, including methicillin, immediate amputation of the infected body part was the only way to avoid a slow, painful death.” Allowing for a bit of exaggeration, that’s the way every article about staph infections seems to start.

After capturing our attention and concern, the articles continue with ever-gloomier statistics about how the problem is getting worse because fewer treatments are effective – the impending disaster seems even more frightening than the killer bees invading from Africa! Zombies and crazy insects aside, it’s true that staph infections, especially the new breed of drug-resistant “superbugs,” are on the rise. In the past, staph was mostly confined to hospitals and prisons, but now that infection is rampant among athletes, especially high-profile athletes, the problem is more out in the open and the media has taken notice.

Without mentioning specific athletes, here is a partial list of the professional and college sports teams, and number of athletes affected, that recently have had to deal with the deadly methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection (MRSA): Indiana State University, 16 San Francisco 49ers, 9 University of Georgia, 8 USC, 7 Washington Redskins, 6 St. Louis Rams, 6 Amherst College, 4 Miami Dolphins, 2 Cleveland Browns, 2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 Phoenix Coyotes, 1 St. Louis Cardinals, 1 Baltimore Orioles, 1 At the high school level, there are reports of as many as a dozen incidents of MRSA among athletes at a single school.

Some schools have had to seriously consider canceling games or even dropping certain sports, especially wrestling. This is not good news, but it doesn’t warrant the number of panicinducing articles that portray staph almost as a flesh-eating bacterium that is set on devouring our young. In fact, there are effective and simple ways to not only treat staph but also prevent it from occurring in the first place.

First, as outlined in Part I of this series in our NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2007 issue, the federal government’s Centers for Disease Control offers many effective ways to prevent the spread of the superbugs; for example, by thorough hand washing and by not sharing personal items such as towels and razors. That’s step one. The next step is to use products that control all the major bacteria (along with mold, fungi and algae) that can be spread through clothing. One such product is the FabricAideTM treatment, which when simply added to normal laundry can add antimicrobial protection (along with odor control) for up to 30 washes!

FabricAideTM is ideal for industrial settings, such as in fitness facilities that provide towels or for sports organizations that handle the laundry needs of their sport teams. It also can be used at home for those who want the best protection for their children and themselves. The next step is to thoroughly clean and disinfect exercise equipment and other surfaces that come in contact with the skin, such as wrestling mats. A product such as SportsCleanTM will do the trick and is easy to apply. Once clean, the area can be sprayed with SportsAideTM XL, which will provide antimicrobial protection for up to 30 days.

For ultimate protection, athletic NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007 facilities can treat their locker rooms and synthetic turf systems with an antimicrobial protection system (which works by a mechanical mode of action, without poisoning or leaching chemicals) that will provide maximum protection against staph for up to three years. The Washington Redskins have used this treatment on their locker rooms, and Virginia Tech University has used it on its artificial turf. Staph is here to stay, but unlike in horror movies, where just about everyone winds up dying a horrible death, the staph story can have a happy ending.

For more details about what staph is and why it is becoming such a major concern in athletics, check out our article in the NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007 issue, available free through our website, Bacteria, fungi, algae and yeasts are among the microorganisms that are presenting greater risks to athletes. Here is a list of some of the microbes that have been effectively controlled by the SportsAide™ system mentioned in this article:

BACTERIA Micrococcus sp.

Staphylococcus epidermidis Enterobacter agglomerans Acinetobacter calcoaceticus Staphylococcus aureus (pigmented) Staphulococcus aureus (non-pigmented) Klebsiella pneumoniae A TCC 4352 Pseudomonas aerugi.nosa Pseudomonas aeruginosa Pseudomonas aeruginosa PDR-10 Streptococcus faecalis Escherichia coli A TCC 23266 Escherichia coli Proteus mirabilis Proteus mirabillis Citrobacter diversus Salmonella typhosa Salmonella choleraesuis Corynebacterium bovis Mycobacterilim smegmatis Mycobacterium tuberculosis Brucalla cania Brucella abotfus Brucella suis Streptococcus mutans Bacillus subtilis Bacillus cereus Clostridium perfringens Haemophilus intluenzae Haemophilus suis Lactobacillus casei Leuconostoc lactis Listeria monocytogenes Propionibacterium acnes Proteus vulgaris Pseudomonas cepacia Pseudomonas fluorescens Xanthomonas campestris FUNGI Aspergillus niger Aspergillus fumigatus Aspergillus versicolor Aspergillus flavus Aspergillus terreus Penicillium chrysogenum Penicillium albicans Penicillium citrinum Penicillium elegans Penicillium funiculosum Penicillium humicola Penicillium notatum Penicillium variabile Mucor sp.

Tricophyton mentagrophytes Tricophyton interdigitalie Trichoderma flavus Chaetomium globusum Rhizopus nigricans Cladosporium herbarum Aerobasidium pullulans Fusarium nigrum Fusarium solani Gliocladium roseum Oospora lactis Stachybotrys atra ALGAE Oscillatoria borneti LB 143 Anabaena cylindrica B-1446-IC Selenastrum gracile B-325 Pleurococcus sp. LB II Schenedesmus quadricauda Gonium sp. LB 9c Volvox sp. LB 9 Chlorella vulgarus YEAST Saccharomyces cerevisiae Candida albicans The right product can eliminate staph on gym equipment, artiÀcial turf, and every surface that poses a threat.

SportsAide® system provides antimicrobial protection to athletic facilities including training rooms, exercise equipment, mats, locker rooms and whirlpools.

Call to find out about this protective treatment.

TurfAide™ provides antimicrobial protection to existing and new synthetic turf systems.

Call to learn more about this long lasting treatment for your facility.

SportsClean™ is a regular maintenance cleaner and disinfectant specially formulated to work synergistically the SportsAide® system and TurfAide™ treated surfaces. Available in a handy spray bottle for quick and easy application. SportsClean (6 – 32oz Spray Bottles) #324008 $49.99 SportsAide® XL provides antimicrobial protection to protective equipment, training equipment and mats for up to 30 days.

Available in a handy spray bottle for quick and easy application SportsAideXL (6 – 32oz Spray Bottles) #324006 FabricAide provides antimicrobial protection, stain releasers and odor control to all of your sports laundry such as towels and uniforms FabricAide (8 – 16oz Bottles) FabricAide (16 – 8oz Bottles) FabricAide (1 Gallon) FabricAide (5 Gallon)

DEDICATED TO HELPING ATHLETES SUCCEED SINCE 1976 l-94” w-36” h-60” stock Stock (Black Paint/ version Gray Upholstery) #400020

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