Now that we’re officially an obese nation—66 percent of us are overweight—health professionals, doctors and phys-ed teachers are warning us to shape up. We have responded in record numbers, joining gyms and health clubs to lose those unwanted pounds and improve our chances of living longer. Ironically, while sweating to become fit, we can actually be putting our health in jeopardy. Warm, moist environments—like those in gyms and health clubs—are ideal breeding grounds for spores. The average pair of running shoes, for instance, play host to 76 times more fungi than a toilet bowl, according to K. Cossaboon, a nationally recognized health expert. Yoga mats, drinking bottles, and towels are other bacteria incubators. While most infections picked up in health clubs and gyms are easily treatable, experts are becoming increasingly concerned. One of the primary concerns is MRSA, or methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which is now being contracted in community settings. It has long been an unwelcome guest in hospitals and health care facilities. Once it penetrates the skin through a minor cut or skin break, the tiniest ca-MRSA infection can become a large pus-filled abscess within a few hours or days. For the most part, the infection does not spread beyond the skin or the tissue just beneath it. But research shows that in 6 percent of cases, ca-MRSA becomes invasive. It can infiltrate the blood stream and progress to full blown sepsis in a matter of days. “Up until very recently, we didn’t expect MRSA in the community at all,” says Dr. Rachel J. Gorwitz, an epidemiologist who is studying the pathogen as part of her duties with the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion in the Center for Disease Control (CDC). “Now we’re seeing millions of these infections in the United States each year. By definition, this is an epidemic.” The CDC reports that 25 to 30 percent of the population is colonized with staph, but only 1 percent of these carry MRSA. While pointing out that staph is “just plain everywhere,” Dr. Tony Reed, director of Sports Medicine at Christiana Care Health System, explains that bacteria are actually important to the environment. “They eat dead things like cells—think of them as a kind of exfoliant,” he says. But, the “methicillin-resistant” (methicillin is a powerful form of penicillin) part of the label means that the bug has become smart enough to avoid being killed. No incidents of ca-MRSA have been linked to fitness facilities, although the bug has found its way into locker rooms and athletic training environments. “A collegiate football player in my hometown died from ca-MRSA in 2003,” Dr. Reed says. “The following year, I put the 6-year-old sister of one of my high school football players on IV antibiotics because of ca-MRSA.” Leslie Laurence reports in the Ladies Home Journal that in 2005, Sammy Sosa, then with the Baltimore Orioles, missed 16 games after contracting ca-MRSA through a wound on his foot, and Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, Calif. temporarily closed its entire athletic department after four students developed the infection. Also, ABC News recently reported that since 2003, three NFL teams—the Cleveland Browns, St. Louis Rams, and Washington Redskins—have documented multiple cases of staph infections. And a study funded by the CDC found that 59 percent of all skin infections in U.S. emergency rooms are caused by MRSA. “For transmission of the bacteria to be successful, an infected individual usually sheds some of the bacteria into a ‘fomite’ or inanimate object, such as an elbow pad, by way of pustular drainage, either visible or in minuscule amounts,” Dr. Reed explains. “From there, the fomite will provide a growth environment for the bacteria, especially if organic material is present. When an individual, even the same person, allows the fomite to come in contact with their body, the bacteria will cross over to the fresh skin. If there is a break in the skin, either visible or microscopic, the bacteria infects this area and grows unchecked by the body’s defenses. A quick passing is generally not enough for transmission, such as being tackled or turning on a faucet, but wearing someone else’s pads or wrapping yourself in a dirty towel increases the likelihood of contracting the infection. “MRSA starts out by looking like an infected hair or pimple. Many people, including physicians, confuse it with a spider bite. The symptoms of systemic infection, which fortunately is rare, are fever, chills and respiratory problems.” Greg Maurer, general manager of the Hockessin Athletic Club, believes that it is only a matter of time before health clubs are hit. “We use bleach to clean our facility constantly,” Maurer says. “We also invested in a salt system, which produces natural chlorine, to keep our pools sanitized. I don’t think it’s possible to have a perfect environment, but we are trying to develop a culture that encourages our members to speak out if equipment is not wiped off.” Dr. Diane Herson, associate professor of biology at the University of Delaware, cautions that although it is important for people to know about MRSA, there is no reason for panic. “The best and easiest way for all of us to protect ourselves is to regularly wash our hands.” While hand-washing is an easy, quick, and inexpensive method of protecting against most infections, statistics indicate that a lot of us don’t do it. In a 2000 study sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology, researchers hung out in public restrooms to observe the hand-washing behavior of 7,836 people in five major cities in the United States—New York, Atlanta, New Orleans, Chicago, and San Francisco. Some 3,589 adult males and 4,247 adult females were counted. Results: only 67 percent of subjects washed their hands after using a toilet or urinal. Overall, 75 percent of the women and 58 percent of the men washed their hands. Marty White, senior health and wellness director at the Central Y in Wilmington, notes that Y regulars are taking personal hygiene more seriously. “Our clientele is increasingly requesting disinfectant,” he says. “We are putting larger bottles of sanitizer around the facility. Our members are obviously wiser about the risks.” Keeping workout spaces and locker rooms sanitary is the responsibility of both fitness-facility managers and their clients. Individuals can follow some simple CDC recommendations to reduce their risk of getting sick. |