MRSA information

There was an article in the IDS yesterday about an IU diver, Cassady Kahn who contracted MRSA. I went over to talk to her and hear her description of her experience.  she was misdiagnosed a number of times(by trainers,doctors,specialists), and it wasn't until she was extremely sick that they finally diagnosed it correctly, and within hours of being too late. It sounded like the surgeon had to cut out any infected area, including skin fascia, muscle and some bone. She has a long scar (~8") on the side of each of her legs: She ended up needing multiple (12) surgeries, some of which was reconstructive  after having lost so much tissue to the infection, as well as some very difficult physical therapy to get back to health.  After looking at the information that Cassady had assembled, I realized that the information we just posted on keeping the academy and student clean is probably inadequate.

the thing that stopped me in my tracks is  this:
MRSA Life Span Facts⁴
• MRSA can live for up to 7 months on dust.
• MRSA can live for up to 8 weeks on a mop head.
• MRSA can live for up to 9 weeks on cotton (towel).
• MRSA can live for up to 203 days (over 6 months) on a blanket.
• MRSA can live on the skin of otherwise healthy individuals, with no symptoms indefinitely.
 ⁴Journal of Infection Control (2001) 49: 255-261.

 The fact that hot water and a hot dryer helps kill MRSA might prompt us to rethink "washing the gi in cold water" and not to dry them, as many are told, to control shrinkage.

There is alot written on MRSA, One source Cassasdy used was by a company selling antimicrobial skin cleaner, but the info they have seems really thorough, and is intended to be distributed in varous formats  in pdf, video, etc.
I found alot of useful information on their website.
It includes this personal testimonial which is apparently very accurate. Talking to Cassady and hearing what she went through, is parallels what happened to her.
http://www.hibiclens.com/mrsa_video/index.html

here are a couple more:
http://www.hibiclens.com/movies/1-mrsa_vs_athletes.mov - first of a series of videos:  focuses on skin to skin contact between athletes as the prime method of MRSA spreading.
http://www.hibiclens.com/mrsa_information.html : quick and dirty just text with references so you know where the info came from. It has the MRSA life span info.
 http://www.hibiclens.com/edu_materials.html 
downloadable pdfs meant to be distributed to inform people about MRSA

additional info:
from USA Wrestling: http://www.themat.com/CoachesCorner/FinalMRSAGuide.pdf
after that, there is always whatever you find on the web...

Talking to Cassady was a very sobering reminder that we have to do what we can to help reduce the risk of MRSA infections. I think I am going to start using an anti-microbial cleanser that provides residual kill for 6 hours, before I get on the mat.

Notes on keeping the BJJ studio/participants clean.

People who participate in close contact sports such as BJJ are susceptible to a variety of contagious bacterial skin infections such as MRSA, Staph, Strep, Ringworm , Impetigo.

Many bacteria can move, often by swimming through liquid. Sweating can mobilize bacteria, spreading it to other parts of your body or to other people’s bodies via the skin or the gi. Many can start when bacteria get into an open wound such as cut, scratch, abrasion, open sore or insect bite.

What the Academy does to reduce risk of contracting/spreading infections:

*Mats are mopped with bleach prior to the first class of every day.

*If blood gets on the mat, it is immediately cleaned up with bleach.

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What individuals should do to reduce risk of contracting/spreading infections:

*If you have open sores and don’t know what it is ,see a doctor to determine what it is. Notify Dax of any suspicious sores you might have.

*Don’t walk barefoot outside of the academy. Use shoes, flip-flops when going to the bathroom or outside. Also do not walk on the mat with shoes on.

*Take a shower within an hour of working out, the sooner the better There is less than a 2 hour gestation period for most micro-organisms to take effect.  This is probably your best defense against the spread of  bacterial skin infections. If you assume you picked up a bacteria, how soon would you shower?

*Wash your gi after every class, preferably within 2 hours of working out. Many bacteria survive on surfaces and fabrics. Washing your gi protects you and our BJJ partners. Same with rashguards, kneepads,towels, etc: after every practice.

*Cover any open sores or cuts with tape, gauze, bandaids, whatever is necessary.

*Wipe off any open sore/wound with anti-bacterial sanitizer, or soap  immediately after class.

*Make sure you clean any blood off your gi as soon as possible.

*If you have an contagious skin infection, stay off the mat. This will keep it from spreading to other members. After whatever you have is no longer infectious, you can return to the mat.