MRSA: Still happening, yet simple to prevent!

MRSA infections have become common in athletes since the first reported cases in a high school wrestling team in 1993 and a British rugby club in 1998. The problem of infection control has become so serious in professional sports that since 2014 the Duke Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention has run the run the Program for Infection Prevention in the National Football League. Peyton Manning, Kellen Winslow, Jim Kelly, Drew Gooden, Mike Gansey, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rios, Paul Pierce, Kenyon Martin, Braylon Edwards, Grant Hill, and most recently Alex Smith are just some of the professional athletes to be affected. These infections can spread from player to player as the Redskins, Buccaneers, Rams, Falcons, Browns, USC, and many colleges and high schools have discovered.

After Brandon Noble's infection in 2004, "the Redskins ripped out their entire training facility and installed a new one, spraying germ-killing coatings on the lockers and discarding the shared benches for individual stools."

The bacteria live on the skin and if the skin is breached the bacteria slip into the tissue and/or bloodstream. A cut, pads or straps cutting into a shoulder or shin, a scrape or abrasion on turf or a mat is all it takes to start the process. MRSA can spread rapidly into muscle, bone and blood if not treated. These infections can become limb- and life-threatening, requiring multiple surgeries and occasionally amputations. New York Giants tight end Daniel Fells developed MRSA in his leg in 2015 and had at least 10 surgeries and Division III college football player, Ricky Lannetti, died from an MRSA infection in 2003.

The 5 C's

• Crowding
• Skin-to-skin contact
• Compromised skin from cuts or abrasions
• Contaminated items and surfaces
• Lack of cleanliness

What Does MRSA Look Like?

An "infected pimple," a spider bite," or just an infection are frequent descriptions of MRSA. MRSA can appear as a bump or infected area on the skin that might be:

• red
• swollen
• painful
• warm to the touch
• full of pus or other drainage
• accompanied by a fever

If you are a coach or parent and see this, remove the athlete from play and seek immediate medical attention! 

MRSA Prevention

The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Disease says, "Athletes should be taught proper personal hygiene (eg, hand-washing, showering, and proper laundering of uniforms and practice clothing on a daily or regular basis). Avoidance of sharing of drinking vessels (water bottles, ladles, or cups), mouth guards, towels, braces, batting helmets, personal protective equipment, bars of soap, bath sponges, razors or electric hair shavers, and callus trimmers is also important in reducing infectious risk.2–9 In addition, athletic programs should ensure regular (daily, weekly, and monthly) cleaning of facilities and equipment (e.g, weight room, railings, mats, blocking dummies, locker rooms, and showers)."

Return to Play

"Athletes with mild cases of MRSA should be removed from all team-related activities until 72 hours after initiation of oral antimicrobial therapy and demonstrated clinical improvement (e.g., the presence of a well-formed scab without active discharge). Abrasions, infected or not, should be covered with a protective covering, and the athlete should be reevaluated daily for signs or symptoms of recurrence or worsening of the infection. Training staff should ensure proper disinfection of equipment and surfaces with which the infected athlete may come in contact, such as training tables, protective equipment, or wrestling mats, among other items."

Resources:
CDC

MRSA Survivors Network

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Update: Braeden Bradforth. "U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., has written to Garden City Community College president Ryan Ruda requesting an independent investigation into the events of Aug. 1, 2018 at the junior college in Garden City, Kansas, where the 19-year-old Bradforth died after a strenuous practice." Read story here.

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Schedule a free 30 minute safety and risk assessment with Dr. Steve Horwitz, CEO and Founder of TeamSafe​®Sports and prepare today!

Click here: calendly.com/drstevenhorwitz

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