MRSA Alert: Do Locker Rooms Breed Deadly Infections? Just Ask College Wrestler Kyle Frey

Kyle Frey. (Personal Photo)

(CBS) Athletes know they face danger on the playing field. But a new report says locker rooms can be dangerous too, as breeding grounds for skin conditions - including an increasingly common and potentially deadly bacterial infection known as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.

"Close quarters that promote skin-to-skin contact and bodily secretion contact make athletes particularly vulnerable" to fungal, viral and bacterial conditions, according to the report, issued today by the National Athletic Trainers' Association at its annual convention in Philadelphia.

"MRSA and other skin conditions can be passed along from athlete very quickly, sometimes with fatal consequences," Mike Moyer, executive director of the National Wrestling Coaching Association, said in a statement. "So prevention and detection efforts aren't just nice to have. They're imperative."

The paper included several recommendations athletes can take to avoid MRSA and other skin conditions, including frequent hand-washing and showering after sporting events. In addition, the report cautions athletes not to share towels, athletic gear, water bottles, disposable razors or hair clippers. All clothing and equipment should be laundered or disinfected on a daily basis.

In addition, athletes should check their skin every day and seek treatment for anything that looks suspicious.

Kyle Frey, 21, a college wrestler, knows first-hand about the threat posed by MRSA. Last January, he noticed a small "pimple" on his left bicep and thought nothing of it. But within two days the lesion had expanded until it covered his entire bicep. After being diagnosed with MRSA, he spent five days in quarantine at a Philadelphia hospital and was treated with two courses of antibiotics and then had surgery to clean away the infection.

"The whole experience taught me the importance of prevention and early treatment when it comes to skin infections," Frey said in a written statement. "My athletic trainer, coach and doctors knew immediately what to do."

MRSA is a growing problem in the US. A 2005 study found that there were 368,000 hospital admissions for the infection, resulting in almost 19,000 deaths.

Frey is now back in the ring, facing down opponents who come his way.

But MRSA is one opponent he hopes never to face again.

[JackBinder]

What people need to realize is that if you protect the route of entry (the skin) you have done 90+% of the job. These types of bacteria are virtually everywhere and trying to eliminate them on every contact surface is a good practice, however you know tha...t in your daily life that is not practical. At some point in time you no longer control all of the environmental variables. Using a skin sanitizer that has residual activity (efficacy continues even after it has dried) is the number one precaution that any person can take - but especially, athletes, heathcare workers, military, daycare workers, nursing home employees and residents, ... Check out www.MRSA-Solutions.com for some good ideas.

[jdeace]

As a manufacturer we supply the European market with our lockers with an anti-bacterial coating called BioCote (www.biocote.com) as standard. Biocote is a unique patent protected silver based anti-microbial coating that inhibits the growth of micro-organisms, including:

* MRSA (Methicillin resistant Staphlococcus aureus)
* MSSA (Methicillin sensitive Staphlococcus aureus)
* E. coli
* Legionella pneumophila
* Pseudomonas aeruginosa
* Salmonella typhimurium and enteritidis
* Listeria monocytogenes
* VRE (vancomycin ? resistant enterococcus)
* Campylobacter
* Staph. aureus
* Aspergillus niger

We don't currently supply US market, but if you are interested in discussing the technology, please contact us at www.linklockers.co.uk

[JackBinder]

What people need to realize is that if you protect the route of entry (the skin) you have done 90+% of the job. These types of bacteria are virtually everywhere and trying to eliminate them on every contact surface is a good practice, however you know that in your daily life that is not practical. At some point in time you no longer control all of the environmental variables.

Using a skin sanitizer that has residual activity (efficacy continues even after it has dried) is the number one precaution that any person can take - but especially, athletes, heathcare workers, military, daycare workers, nursing home employees and residents, ... Check out www.MRSA-Solutions.com for some good ideas.

[GuySako]

Wrestlers and fighters for years have been using Defense Soap to protect them from Ringworm, Athlete's Foot, Jock Itch, MRSA, Staph and other skin infections that they can catch from the mats. Defense Soap is a 100% natural line of soap that is no longer just for the combat athlete.
Visit Defense Soap at www.defensesoap.com

[SunDog8259]

Heck the stuff is everywhere and you can be vulnerable if you have a break in the skin like from football, drink to much alcohol or have an otherwise compromised immune system. I have had it three times; I only needed antibiotics the first time. Betadine (liquid or ointment), Dakin's solution and possibly Silver sulfadiazine OTC will surely stop it if caught early. The CMRSA (Community acquired) can be more pathogenic since it doesn't carry the DNA bloatware for antibiotic resistance and can replicate much faster. The so called "flesh eating bacteria" is not a Staph but a Strep. The best thing you can do is treat even minor wounds right away, newskin or betatine, keep it covered and keep up your immune system with a healthy diet high in nutrition and low in sugars and processed starches.

[JasonBryant12]

Can you please edit the story to reflect wrestling being "on the mat" rather than "in the ring."

Wrestling doesn't take place in a ring.