Community Acquired MRSA-CA MRSA Prevention in the Gym

According to a study carried out by the CDC, staph infections called MRSA infected 94,000 people in 2005, killing 19,000 patients. MRSA is a staph infection resistant to some drugs. While 85% of the cases studied were associated with a health care setting, the rest of them (more than 14,000) were not known to be associated with a health care setting. This type of MRSA is called community-acquired MRSA, or CA MRSA, and is spread by skin-to-skin contact and sharing personal items.

While CA MRSA is not common, it is possible to get MRSA if you find yourself in close contact with people who are infected with the bug. In the gym, we usually work out with a lot of our skin exposed, and we are in contact with mats and equipment that are shared by many people. There is no reason to stop working out, but it doesn't hurt taking some common sense precautions to prevent contact with MRSA.

Here are some do's and don't's to avoid MRSA at the gym:

• Don’t share towels or clothing.
• Don’t go into the whirlpool if you have open cuts.
• Don't share bars of soap.
• Do make sure gym equipment and exercise mats are disinfected with a chlorine bleach solution or another effective sanitizer between users.
• Do make sure that whirlpools are properly chlorinated. Some gyms post a chart detailing the conditions of the whirlpool such as the date and time the whirlpool was checked for levels of chlorine.
• Do shower right after working out, at the gym, before going home.
• Do use liquid soap.
• Do wear sandals in the shower.
• Do stay in shape! The more fit you are, the healthier you’ll be.

If you are a wrestler or involved in another sport that involves a lot of skin-to-skin contact, talk to your coach about MRSA. He or she may advise team members to skip practice if they have a skin infection, cuts or scrapes.

One reader who was an assistant trainer to a high school wrestling team told me that wrestlers on her team maintained very high standards for personal hygiene. First of all, the athletes showered before and after practice. Wrestlers who had open injuries were prevented from practicing and mats were disinfected after each practice and between matches.

See also tips to prevent MRSA in the hospital, community acquired MRSA, and MRSA among gay men.

Related article:

• MRSA 101

_Sources

(Reprinted) JAMA, Invasive Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infections in the United States. October 17, 2007—Vol 298, No. 15 1763.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Press Release. CDC estimates 94,000 invasive drug-resistant staph infections occurred in the U.S. in 2005. October 16, 2007.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC. Healthcare-Associated MRSA. Retrieved October 18, 2007.

Infectious Diseases Society of America. Bad Bugs, No Drugs. As Antibiotic Discovery Stagnates, a Public Health Crisis Brews. July 2004.

Heymann, David (2004.) Control of communicable diseases manual. Washington D.C.: American Public Health Association.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings- 2002. Retrieved October 18, 2007. Dr. Neil Fishman. Interview by telephone with Anna Spector. July 25, 2007.