FACILITY & OPERATIONS

MRSA and synthetic fields:more research is in

Editor's note: In our May 2006 issue we ran a storyabout a study that found that "infilled .'i'jstmL~arenot a hospitable environment for microbial activity. "There are other views on this subjeci hoioeuer,including that of the manufacturer of TurfAide, anantimicrobial product marketed to owners of ryn-theMe turf systems. In the spirit offairness, we offiredthem an opportunity to present their information.

• IIen Midwest high schoolathletes from one schoollast year contracted MRSA(m e th ic ill in -r e st s Lan t

Staphylococcus aureus}, apowerful bacteria. TIle luckier of the bunchcame out with deep scars while others emergedfrom hospital beds after weeks of strong antibi-otics. All felt relief that the microorganism had-n't taken a bigger toll.

"when my son contracted MRSA, he hadto take heavy antibiotics, bleach baths, washwith antibacterial soap, and de-contaminateall textiles that he touched, including ourcouches and everything in his room, withscalding hot water for weeks, ~ says SueSchnitz, mother of Robert Scbnirz, who wasone of the first to contract MRSA on the team."We were lucky. J thought his leg would haveto be amputated. Instead my son is len withbullet-sized scars on the back of his leg."

Teams from high school levels to the prossuch as the Washington Rcdskins andCleveland Browns have dealt with cases ofstaph outbreaks. All, no doubt, would tell theathletic community one simple fact: MRSAand staph infections are indeed a threat andawareness and action is a must.

MRSA definedMRSA is a strain of the staph bacteria and

is otherwise known as a "super bug" becauseof its resistance to methicillin. In athletics,

28 October 2007

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FACILITY & OPERATIONSstaph and. MRSA infections create problemswhen scrapes, burns, and cuts are involved,enabling the bacteria to enter the body'sbloodstream; instances that. are far 100 cum-man in sports and on synthetic turf fields.

"Athletes in all arenas need to be aware ofMRSA's growing threat on the community.Staph infections are not to be taken lightly, ~ saysDr. Rod Walters, doctor of sports education for-merly at the University of South Carolina.

The bacteria usually cause mild skin infec-nonssuch as boils or pimples, hut by enteringthe bloodstream through open wounds, it caninstigate infections such as sever pneumonia,internal organ and joint infections and toxicshock syndrome.

Staph, once believed 10 be confined to hos-pital settings, has over time become moreresistant and increased in virulence; theCenters for Disease Control (CDC) reportedthat from 1Y95 to 2004, the percentage ofstaph infections caused by MRSA hasincreased from 22010to fi:=l% [I]. The CDC also

estimates that around 130,000 people are hos-pitalized with MRSA each year, This year theArchives of Internal Medicine reported thatMRSA's frequent occurrence is around 11times greater than past estimates reported [2].Sports Illustrated states that staph is so highlycontagious that a "quick high five" can trans-mit the bacteria if both athletes have turf burnsor abrasions in their skin [3].

"A higher percentage of Staphylococcusaureus have become resistant in recent years,"says Dr. Bruce Muma, chief medical officer atHenry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital. "Ascommunity outbreaks become more prevalentoutside of hospitals, health care experts nation-ally are facing a crisis that needs the help of aproactive community to beat."

Where is MRSA found?Staph infections, including MRSA, are

pathogens that can be found everywhere, infact, it lives in the skin and nose of about 30% ofthe population 141. The bacteria can survive in

indoor and outdoor environments and surfacessuch as playgrounds, hospitals, prisons, healthclubs and athletic settings for long periods [daysand months), Specifically in the athletic envi-ronment, staph can live in locker rooms,whirlpools, towels, uniforms, mats, sportingequipment, and synthetic turf fields. Increasingknowledge in the medical community hasbrought to attention that staph can be trans-ferred by textile and other surfaces as well asperson to person contact.

Though the presence of Staphylococcusaureus in athletic settings such as locker rooms,health clubs, mats, exercise balls and weightrooms is commonly accepted in the communi-ty, it's presence on synthetic turf fields hasbeen debated. Today, recent independent stud-ies confirm what doctors and athletic officialshave suspected all along; the non-discriminnto-Iy staph bacteria indeed can live on syntheticfields. According to the Joumal of ClinicalMicrobiology, who clinically studied staph'sability to survive on a variety of substrates,

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"Staphylococcal viability was longest onpolyethylene plastic (22 to 90 days)."[5]

As recent as May 2007, an independentlaboratory tested an indoor synthetic turf fieldat a Midwest Division I school and found fivesamples with significant indication of pre-sumptive staph on separate areas of the fieldtested [6]. Other independent studies conduct-ed on five separate indoor and outdoor syn-thetic turf systems at multiple college and pro-fessional athletic facilities confirmed the pres-ence of staph on three of the five fields tested[7]- A Clinical Infectious Disease study in2004 showed that players who have sustainedturf burns are seven times more likely toacquire an infection compared to players with-out rurf burns [8].

Dr. Gregory M. Cojores, a Department ofBiology professor at Central MichiganUniversity, states that, "CMU has been help-ing in the development of test techniquesappropriate for the detection and characteriza-tion of bacteria from synthetic turf. Using

PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) we haveconfirmed that there arc detectable levels ofbacteria that can be retrieved from syntheticturf surface samples."

With the presence of fluids such as sweat,blood, spit, vomit and urine or bird droppings,and high physical contact, sports played onsynthetic turf fields could be an ideal placewhere the non-discriminatory staph bacteriacan nourish or serve as a transmission point.Staph's proven ability to live on synthetic turfsystems and in other athletic settings can leadto the conclusion that MRSA can survive herealso. In fact, according to the New EnglandJournal of Medicine, during the 2003 footballseason in which eight MRSA infectionsoccurred among the Rams players, all of theinfections developed at turf-abrasion sites [9].

Defending against MRSAIn the case of MRSA, prevention is key.

The CDC offers the following tips for micro-bial safety:

Keep your hands clean by washing thenthoroughly with soap and water.Keep cuts and scrapes clean and coveredwith a bandage until healed.Avoid contact with other people'swounds or bandages.Avoid sharing personal items such astowels or razors.Regularly clean surfaces of gym equipmentwith disinfectant before and after use.

FACILITY & OPERATIONS

The antimicrobial treatment TurfAide, aproduct of the Sports Antimicrobial System(SAS) from SportCoatings, Rochester Hills,Ml, is being used now by the MinnesotaVikings, Cleveland Browns, Ohio StateUniversity, and Virginia Tech, and many oth-ers, as well as at the high school level. SAS isdesigned to inhibit and minimize microbialcontamination on all sport surfaces forextended periods.

SAS is a family of treatments that are pow-ered by the lEGIS Microbe Shield technolo-

www.stma.org

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SportsTurf 31

FACILITY & OPERATIONSgy, which has been safely used in consumergoods and medical applications for more than30 years, Registered with the EPA, the shieldimparts an invisible layer of antimicrobial pro-tection that will not leach any chemicals orheavy metals into the environment and willnot rub off onto a player's skin.

"Using the SAS system is like having anairbag in your car," said Mike Goforth,Director of Athletics Training at VirginiaTech "You may not be able to see it, but theparents of our athletes can feel confidentknowing that their sons and daughters aretraining in safe facilities when they come toVirginia Tech."

On a microscopic level, the SAS treat-ments bond to the surface and create a matrixof positively charged sword-shaped molecules.Upon direct contact, the membrane of themicrobe is physically ruptured by a stabbingand electrocution action. Since the treatmentis not consumed or dissipated, it remainsactive 2417. •

Sources:7. ''MRSA In Healthcare Settings". Centers fOr

Disease Control and Prevention. October 6,

2006.

2. "The Burden of Staphylococcus aureusInfections on Hospitals in the United States:An Analysis of the 2000 and 2007Nationwide Inpatient Sample Database."Gary A. Noskin, MD. Archives of InternalMedicine. VoL 165 No. 15, Aug 8/22, 2005.

3. "Menace in the Locker Room", Phil GrO.H.Sports Illustrated. February 23, 2006.

4. "Healthbeat: How to stop Staph infections".Jen Christensen. Hoi News,January 4, 2006.

5. "Suroinalcf Enterococci and Staphylococci onHospital Fabrics and PlAstic." Alice N. Neelyand Matt/lew P. Maley. Journal of ClinicalMicrobiology. Feb. 2000, p. 724-726, Vol.38, No.2

6. "Microbial Retrievals from an IndoorSynthetu Field at the University Field *' 8,"White IEQ, Consulting, Ll.C.

7. "Microbial Analysis af Synthetic Turf".january 2007.

8. "A High·Mafbidity Outbreak of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus amangPlayers on a College Football Team,Facilitates by Cosmetic Body Shaving andTurf Burns." Elizabeth M. Begier. ClinicalInfectious Diseases. Nov. 15,2004.

9. ':4 Cione ofMeihicillin-Rtsistant StaphylacacCUJaureus among Proftssianal Faothall Players':Sophia V Kamkcoa .The New Englll'lulJaurnalaf Medicine, Volume 352:468-475. Feb. 3,2005.

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