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The H1N1 Virus will be a huge factor going into this winter’s athletic season. H1N1 will be especially acute within the wrestling community. Last year at this time there were 10 reported cases of H1N1 in the United States. This month according to the CDC there has been over 8,000 cases reported. Please see a recap of Sunday night’s – October 18th episode of 60 minutes.
We have traditionally marketed our body wipes as a post athletic activity protection product. With the advent of what could be an extremely high level of H1N1 cases and based on our medical advisory board’s recommendation we are suggesting that any athletes participating in athletic competition use our 70% alcohol based body wipes prior and post athletic activity to help prevent the spread of H1N1 and other viruses. Matguard’s safe on skin formulation was approved by the EPA to kill the H1N1 virus. Our EPA formulation is the same formula we use in our FDA regulated Body Wipes.
We currently have enough supply of Body Wipes for this year’s season. If the situation with H1N1 does not improve we will be in an out of stock position quickly. Please secure your product supply ASAP.
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Middle School Wrestler MRSA
Strobel ~Stories From a Life With Wrestling Award winning wrestling writer James V. Moffatt presents a revealing behind the scenes look at four decades of amateur wrestling
From Birth to the Cradle
Mike Rogers received the Most Pins award in the 1996 NCAA Tournament - if you like to PIN this disk is for you!
15 Deadly Cradle Combo's for SERIOUS Grapplers Only.
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Medical News: General Infectious Disease
Clinicians Warned to Watch for MRSA Among Athletes
By Michael Smith, North American Correspondent, MedPage Today
Published: June 25, 2008
Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
CINCINNATI, June 25 -- The playing fields, gyms, and locker rooms of American athletes are awash in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), according to researchers here.
A review of published reports shows that "MRSA plays a major role in the sports realm because of the unique risk factors present among athletes," Brian Adams, M.D., of the University of Cincinnati, and a colleague reported online in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Key risk factors include physical contact, shared facilities and equipment, and poor hygiene, Dr. Adams said, although "with slight modifications in these areas, individuals participating in contact and non-contact sports can reduce their risk of contracting MRSA." Action Points
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Explain to interested patients that methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) emerged in hospitals within a few years of the development of antibiotic methicillin, but in recent years a community-acquired version has been increasingly common.
Note that this review examined what's known about the risk of community-acquired MRSA among athletes and concluded that prevention measures can reduce the risk of infection.
Sports-related infection with community-acquired MRSA is usually an abscess with surrounding cellulitis in an athletic young adult "with pain out of proportion to physical examination," the researchers said. Clinicians, they added, should consider obtaining cultures in order to tailor therapy properly.
"Artificial turf can exacerbate the extent of skin trauma that commonly occurs in these players in the form of turf burns, but even an athlete's ingrown toenail can lead to MRSA infection," they wrote. "Multiple investigations of outbreaks at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels have identified other risk factors for this particular cohort. The resulting data confirm the significance of MRSA infections in athletes and provide guidance for preventive efforts."
Most attention has been focused on body contact sports, such as football and wrestling, but even fencers and cross-country runners are not immune, the researcher found. The most detailed information on community-acquired MRSA among athletes comes from football, where a combination of physical contact and skin abrasions from contact with artificial turf or equipment has led to several outbreaks, the researchers said.
For instance, a study during the 2003 NFL season found eight occurrences of MRSA infection among five of the 58 members of the St. Louis Rams, or 9% of the players.
All of the lesions occurred on skin not covered by clothing or equipment where players had suffered turf burns, Dr. Adams said.
The authors concluded that "frequent antibiotic use, compromised skin barriers, skin contact between players, close proximity of teammates, and inadequate hand and personal hygiene" might have played a role in the outbreak, he said.
"In addition, infections found in players from an opposing team suggested that transmission may have occurred during play," Dr. Adams added.
But sharing equipment can also be a risk factor. In a 2003 outbreak among fencers, three of five patients required hospitalization and two had recurrent infections.
Wrestlers, with their prolonged physical contact and mat burns, have also had MRSA infections. The Texas Department of Health noted six infections involving wrestlers in a statewide survey of high school athletic trainers. The infection rate for wrestlers (0.3%) was slightly below the infection rate for football players (0.4%).
The Indiana Department of Health identified two high school wrestlers with MRSA infection, neither needing hospitalization. The two teammates had never wrestled each other.
"Consequently, transmission may have occurred through the use of shared items instead of close physical contact."
Another study found six MRSA infections (one requiring hospitalization) among 32 members of a high school wrestling team. Two teammates carried MRSA nasally including one who also developed a cutaneous lesion.
Yet 11 nonwrestlers connected with the high school or wrestling team in various ways developed infections, although pertinent risk factors were not identified.
Investigators found that members of the fencing team regularly shared an unsterilized sensor wire worn under their clothing and that they frequently suffered skin rashes because of the abrasive nature of protective garments.
Such shared equipment -- including such items as wrestling mats -- should be regularly cleaned, Dr. Adams said.
One survey of licensed athletic trainers at Texas high schools found that about 32% had noted MRSA infections within their departments.
Nasal carriage of resistant bacteria plays a central role in the pathogenesis of infection, the researchers said, and a 2003 meta-analysis found that 5.4% of sports team members carry CA-MRSA intranasally, compared with 1.3% of the general population.
Incision and drainage "represents the definitive treatment for cutaneous MRSA infection," the researchers noted, adding that a range of antibiotics -- including tetracyclines, quinolones, trimethoprimsulfamethoxazole, rifampin, and clindamycin -- are usually effective.
On the other hand, Dr. Adams said, prevention is better than cure. At a minimum, he said, coaches and athletic directors should follow CDC guidelines:
Cover all wounds and if a wound can't be covered adequately, consider excluding players from practice or competitions.
Encourage good hygiene, including showering and washing with soap after all practices and competitions.
Make sure adequate soap and hot water are available.
Discourage sharing of towels and personal items, such as clothing or equipment.
Establish routine cleaning schedules for shared equipment.
Train athletes and coaches in first aid for wounds and recognition of wounds that are potentially infected.
Encourage athletes to report skin lesions to coaches and ask coaches to assess athletes regularly for skin lesions.
Athletes Susceptible to Antibiotic-resistant Staph Infections
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MRSA DERMATOLOGY AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY
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Description
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, commonly referred to as MRSA, is a type of staph that causes infections resistant to a class of common antibiotics that includes methicillin, penicillin, amoxicillin and oxacillin. While MRSA infections were traditionally associated with extended hospital stays, they are now becoming more common in everyday life. Newswise — Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, commonly referred to as MRSA, is a type of staph that causes infections resistant to a class of common antibiotics that includes methicillin, penicillin, amoxicillin and oxacillin. While MRSA infections were traditionally associated with extended hospital stays, they are now becoming more common in everyday life. In fact, this newer form of MRSA known as community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) can affect otherwise healthy individuals without any recent healthcare-related issues – raising fears that the infection can strike anyone, anywhere or anytime.
Now, dermatologists are finding that MRSA infections have become increasingly common among people participating in sports, including high school and college athletes. In the report entitled, “Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and athletes,” published online in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, dermatologist Brian B. Adams, MD, MPH, FAAD, associate professor of dermatology at the University of Cincinnati and director of dermatology at the Veterans Administration Medical Center, in Cincinnati, addressed the occurrence of MRSA in athletes and recommendations for preventing the further spread of the infection.
“Our review found that physical contact, shared facilities and equipment, and poor hygiene all contribute to MRSA among athletes,” said Dr. Adams. “With slight modifications in these areas, individuals participating in contact and non-contact sports can reduce their risk of contracting MRSA.”
Dr. Adams noted that CA-MRSA most frequently appears as an infection of the skin and underlying tissues, and looks like a pimple, boil or abscess, sometimes with draining fluid or pus. These lesions may be red, swollen, warm and tender to touch. The most widely reported contact sport linking MRSA infections to athletes is football. In fact, football players experience a variety of factors predisposing them to MRSA infections. These include skin injuries that can occur during play, turf burns from artificial turf that can exacerbate skin trauma, and even an athlete’s ingrown toenail can lead to a MRSA infection.
One prominent study conducted during the 2003 football season of members of the St. Louis Rams professional football team found eight occurrences of MRSA infection among five of the 58 Rams players – or 9 percent of the team. Dr. Adams pointed out that all of the lesions occurred on areas of the skin not covered by clothing or equipment where players had suffered turf burns. The players that experienced the infections were more likely to have a higher body mass index and play the lineman or linebacker position.
“Considering all factors, the authors of the St. Louis Rams study concluded that frequent antibiotic use, compromised skin barriers, skin contact between players, close proximity of teammates, and inadequate hand and personal hygiene by trainers and athletes may have contributed to the team’s MRSA outbreak,” said Dr. Adams. “In addition, infections found in players from an opposing team suggested that transmission may have occurred during play.”
Other studies of high school and college football players concluded that shared facilities were likely responsible for MRSA transmission. In each instance, the main risk factor included more than 10 cuts, abrasions or turf burns. One study found that whirlpool use greater than or equal to two times per week increased the risk of MRSA infection in players with covered lesions; in another study a member of the high school dance team developed MRSA infection – with the only link to the football team involving the use of a shared weight room where the dance team changed into their uniforms before football games.
Rugby is another sport that also involves intense physical contact and could potentially expose players to risk factors for contracting MRSA. For example, Dr. Adams explained that the limited use of padded equipment in rugby creates the potential for more skin-to-skin contact but also reduces the risks associated with abrasive, shared or unclean equipment. “One report from the United Kingdom found that five members of a rugby team developed large abscesses on the upper areas of their arms, back, neck and face,” said Dr. Adams. “Because the MRSA infections developed only in forward players, the investigators concluded that the outbreak probably resulted from sustained physical contact rather than from transmission through shared facilities or equipment.”
In addition, studies show that wrestlers, who often engage in prolonged physical contact and experience frequent mat burns, also may be prone to MRSA infections. In a statewide survey of high school athletic trainers, the Texas Department of Health noted six MRSA infections involving wrestlers; another report issued by the Indiana Department of Health identified two high school wrestlers infected with MRSA.
“In this latter study, the two affected teammates had never wrestled each other because they competed in different weight classes,” said Dr. Adams. “Therefore, transmission of MRSA may have occurred through the use of shared items instead of personal contact – although the high level of person-to-person contact in wrestling remains a potentially significant means of transmitting the infection.”
Dr. Adams noted that additional studies among athletes point to shared personal items as contributing factors for MRSA transmission. Two separate outbreaks involving college athletes in Pennsylvania and California resulted in multiple football players requiring hospitalization due to MRSA infections. The reporting health departments in each instance recognized the sharing of unwashed bath towels, balms and lubricants as possible modes of transmission of the infection.
While numerous studies have identified potential risk factors for MRSA infection among athletes, few studies have examined the effect of preventive hygienic practices. In an investigation conducted by the University of Southern California over the course of three football seasons from 2002 to 2004, the number of MRSA infections among the same college players declined over the three-year period when preventive hygienic measures were implemented. These interventions included covering wounds, using hexachlorophene 3% (an antibacterial skin cleanser), prohibiting multiuse pump lotions or other topical massage products, and educating players and trainers about hygiene and the importance of not sharing equipment, towels or other personal items.
“It appears that the primary mode of MRSA transmission involves person-to-person contact, but the significance of this risk factor varies among different sports,” added Dr. Adams. “Even in largely non-contact sports such as soccer, volleyball, cross-country, fencing and weight lifting, outbreaks of MRSA infections have been reported – suggesting that shared facilities or shared personal items were the likely culprit.
At a minimum, Dr. Adams recommends that all those involved in athletics follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) measures for preventing MRSA infections among sports participants, which includes:
• Cover all wounds. If a wound cannot be covered adequately, consider excluding players with potentially infectious skin lesions from practice or competitions until the lesions are healed or can be covered adequately.
• Encourage good hygiene, including showering and washing with soap after all practices and competitions.
• Ensure availability of adequate soap and hot water.
• Discourage sharing of towels and personal items, such as clothing or equipment.
• Establish routine cleaning schedules for shared equipment.
• Train athletes and coaches in first aid for wounds and recognition of wounds that are potentially infected.
• Encourage athletes to report skin lesions to coaches and ask coaches to assess athletes regularly for skin lesions.
Dr. Adams recommends seeing a dermatologist if you notice any unusual symptoms that could indicate a skin infection.
Headquartered in Schaumburg, Ill., the American Academy of Dermatology (Academy), founded in 1938, is the largest, most influential, and most representative of all dermatologic associations. With a membership of more than 15,000 physicians worldwide, the Academy is committed to: advancing the diagnosis and medical, surgical and cosmetic treatment of the skin, hair and nails; advocating high standards in clinical practice, education, and research in dermatology; and supporting and enhancing patient care for a lifetime of healthier skin, hair and nails. For more information, contact the Academy at 1-888-462-DERM (3376) or http://www.aad.org.