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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 2006)
FEBRUARY 17. 2006 JUStjOUt 17 Staph Infections You can get them at the gym his isn’t the sexiest column 1’11 ever write, hut the subject matter is extreme ly important. There is an endemic disease called MRSA (Methicillin- Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) that previously only occurred in institutions such as hospitals. This strain of Staph infection was referred to as HA-MRSA (Healthcare-Associated MRSA) and was most commonly seen in patients whose health was compromised. Otherwise healthy populations are now report ing MRSA Staph infections. Athletes, gym exercis BY MARIA CALLAHAN ers, team sport participants and people in institu tions where the general population might not have monly prescribed Methicillin antibiotics, because access to adequate medical care are considered at risk. These newer types of infection are called CA- the bacteria have mutated and become resistant to MRSA (Community-Acquired MRSA). And as this type of medication. MRSA bacteria are never you will read below, the endemic is affecting the considered normal. If a doctor treats an abscess or other Cellulitis sexual minorities community. CA-MRSAs began to emerge in otherwise with the wrong type of medicine, the abscess might healthy populations in the 1980s, but the begin look completely healed, but the patient can remain ning of penicillin resistance initially began just a asymptomatic and still “colonize” the MRSA bac few years after the introduction of penicillin in the teria. Oral antibiotics used to treat non-MRSA 1940s. The medical community is now again pre skin infections are not effective against MRSA, scribing the older, organically derived antibiotics and the reverse is also true. such as Vancomycin in an effort to combat the If a wound doesn’t show improvement quickly, superbacteria. request a wound culture and sensitivity from your Staph bacteria are present on skin and are con doctor, to identify the correct pathogen causing the sidered to be a normal part of a person’s flora. But infection. If an MRSA infection is not identified an MRSA infection, simply put, is a Staph infec and treated correctly, I.V. antibiotics might be tion whose growth cannot he stopped with com- required, and there is a risk of systemic infection or T Dear Ethel even death. Tell your doctor if you have a history of team sports, exercise in a public facility or have a partner who has been treated for a similar condi tion recently. Ask your doctor if he or she has any experience with MRSA infections. Many do not. Here are a couple of examples of how the bac teria can mutate, spread and become more virulent. You get a small (or large) abscess, you go to the doctor, and he or she gives you an oral antibiotic. 1. You don’t finish the round of antibiotics, and the infection doesn’t completely heal. According to an infectious disease doctor I spoke with, the 10- day supply of medication supplied assumes that 10 percent of the bacteria will be killed each day. If you take eight days worth of antibiotics and forget days nine and 10, you might still have a contagious Staph infection. 2. Your doctor lances the abscess but doesn’t culture it. He or she prescribes you an antibiotic based solely on how the abscess presents. You are left with an unusual bump or a scab that doesn’t “look right.” You might still have a contagious Staph infection. 3. Your partner doesn’t tell you he or she has a Staph infection, or your partner don’t realize it, and you have intimate contact. MRSA is highly conta gious, and safer-sex precautions are not any guaran tee. You might be at an even greater risk for a Staph infection than you would be for an STI, because you can have an infection anywhere on your body. I’ve heard many people say that hand sanitizer and surface wipes are part of the problem, but this isn’t so, according to the doctor I spoke with. Nonporous environmental surfaces can also con tain non-MRSA and MRSA Staph, though it isn’t as common. Rotting vegetables, especially mush rooms, often contain Staphylococcus Aureus, and Staph can also cause food poisoning! Prevention If you get a Staph infection, insist on a culture and sensitivity, so you can get the proper antibiotics the first time. Labs must grow the bacteria (culture) then inhibit its growth (sensitivity). Wash your hands often! In the gym: Use surface wipes and hand sanitiz er often. Buy your own yoga mat. Clean exercise equipment before you use it. Wear workout gloves. There is a myth that once you’ve got an MRSA, you’ve got it for good. This is not true. Any Staph infection that isn’t properly treated can resurface somewhere else: on you, your partner or other close contact. Follow your doctor’s orders completely. For more information visit www.cdc.gov/nci- dod/dhqp/ar_mrsa_ca_public.html. © Information in this column should not be used in place of advice from a licensed health care professional. If you have a health or fitness question, e-mail D ear E thel at maria@etheldiesels.com or visit wwtv.etheldieseh.com. FANTASY For Adults ' Only! 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