Staph hits MC football team
A dozen Fighting Scots players infected; strain is treatable with antibiotics
Friday, October 19, 2007
MONMOUTH - Twelve Monmouth College football players have been affected by an outbreak of staph infections.Barry McNamara, associate director of college communications, said the outbreak began in early September and is confined to the 110-member football team. Only two of the cases are active. The college is still trying to figure out where the staph originated.
"Since it's confined to the football program we know it's something football related," McNamara said. "The trouble is we can't figure out exactly where or what thing it started from."
Staph is a bacterial infection that can cause infections through open wounds or other breaks in the skin. The easiest way to transmit it is through skin-to-skin contact or by sharing items that come into close contact with skin, such as towels, bar soap and sports equipment.
Most staph infections can be treated with antibiotics. Monmouth football players who contracted the infection have been prescribed Bactrim.
Recent staph cases, which are being reported from high schools and colleges across the nation, have featured a more invasive strain called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. The medical community refers to this strain as "community-acquired" because it's being contracted outside of hospitals.
MRSA is resistant to many common antibiotics and can cause many ailments, the most common being a contagious skin infection that causes pimples and boils.
"It's fairly common, it's happening all over the U.S.," McNamara said. "I guess it's our turn. We're battling through it the best we can."
McNamara said equipment and practice uniforms are, as always, being cleaned regularly and locker rooms and practice spaces are being disinfected after use.
"We're taking big efforts to combat this," McNamara said.
Players diagnosed with staph are not allowed to participate in practice or games. Since the initial players were diagnosed about a month ago Monmouth has not yet had to cancel any games. McNamara said that would be a worst-case scenario.
No other college students or athletes have been diagnosed outside of the football team, including affected players' roommates.
Roger Haynes, associate athletic director, said the college is working closely with local doctors to control the outbreak. Athletic trainers are also closely monitoring the progress of affected players every day.
Monmouth's 1,300 or so students were notified staph had been spreading on campus via the school's online message board. They were urged to take precautions to prevent the spread of the bacteria.
Karrie Heartlein, Knox College director of public relations, said Knox has measures in place every year to prevent staph infections. A student arrived at campus with staph this fall, but Heartlein said that student did not participate in athletics until the infection had cleared up.
"We talk to our students about staph at the beginning of every year," Heartlein said. Football players wash their gear and practice clothes every day, she said, and if any athletes are cut during practice they must see the athletic trainer.
"We are extremely vigilant," Heartlein said.
