College athletes who play contact sports such as football and soccer are more likely to carry the superbug methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Researchers found contact sport athletes were more than twice as likely to carry the bug than non-contact athletes, the Infectious Diseases Society of America reported. Contact sports players had a colonization rate between eight and 31 percent (compared to a rate of between zero and 23 percent in non-contact sports players), and mostly carried the germ in their throats or noses.
"This study shows that even outside of a full scale outbreak, when athletes are healthy and there are no infections, there are still a substantial number of them who are colonized with these potentially harmful bacteria," said Natalia Jimenez-Truque, PhD, MSCI, research instructor, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn. "Sports teams can decrease the spread of MRSA by encouraging good hygiene in their athletes, including frequent hand washing and avoiding sharing towels and personal items such as soap and razors."
Researchers looked at 377 male and female Vanderbilt University athletes who played 14 different sports, including 224 who played contact sports. Each player was given a monthly nasal and throat swab over the course of two academic years. The researchers also found contact athletes acquired MRSA more quickly and were colonized longer than non-contact athletes.
The researchers believe those who participate in contact sports are more likely to contract MRSA because they get injuries such as open scrapes and have skin to skin contact.
MRSA can cause infections in the skin and soft tissue, but they usually heal on their own. Invasive MRSA can lead to much more serious infections in the blood or pneumonia that is difficult to treat with antibiotics.
The researchers suggest athletes take preventative measures such as washing their hands regularly, not sharing razors and towels, and not playing the game if they have an open wound.
"Staph is a problematic germ for us - always has been, always will be - and we need to do all we can to reduce the risk of infection in those at highest risk, such as college athletes," Jimenez-Truque said.
