Over the last several weeks, many cases of a serious “staph” infection called MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) have been reported throughout the United States, particularly on college campuses.

Several players on the Monmouth College football team have recently suffered from a strain of Staphylococcus aureus infection, and there has been some question as to whether the infection at Monmouth is MRSA. An investigation by The Courier has turned up evidence that the infected players do indeed have MRSA.

“From my understanding there were medical tests done to determine what strain of bacteria was involved. They confirmed that all the cases we know involving students were the MRSA bacteria,” said Jeff Rankin, director of college communications. “We do feel that the antibiotics that have been prescribed in aggressive measure are helping to defeat the infection and they’re doing a proper job, and we’re confident that through these repeated measures we will eradicate it very soon.”

Monmouth’s first case of the staph infection was reported on Sept. 3, just over two weeks after the athletes reported for training camp. The infection is contagious and usually spreads through skin-to-skin contact, especially in sports such as football and wrestling.

There have been 19 Monmouth College football players diagnosed with the infection  during the 2007 season.

Two other cases were revealed in a Monmouth College press release on Oct. 25, including a baseball player and a staff member who were diagnosed with staph. The baseball player was diagnosed in the first week of September and is completely healed, while the staff member is currently being treated. In all, 21 cases of staph infection have been reported.

Early symptoms of the disease may include skin redness, swelling, warmth, tenderness and skin lesions.

Monmouth’s head athletic trainer, Bob Foster, said staph infections are not uncommon, and the football team frequently encounters some form of staph infection. The MRSA strain of the bacteria is more uncommon and potentially harmful, however, and the offiicials at the College are taking precautions.

“My job is to make sure that nothing bad happens to our players, so we check it on a daily basis during practice to make sure that things look like they should,” Foster said.

He said that as soon as players show symptoms, they are immediately sent to a doctor to receive proper treatment.

“All of our cases have been sent to the CMC clinic, and what they’re doing is basically putting them on Bactrim, which is an antibiotic used to take care of it,” Foster said.

Bactrim has been successful in curing the infection so far, as all but three football players are no longer sidelined because of staph. All infected players are closely monitored, and they are barred from using any equipment or having any physical contact with other athletes until the infection is under control. In addition, all of the football equipment and Monmouth’s weight room are being regularly and thoroughly cleaned as a further precaution.

Foster noted that the athletic department and the College follow the clinic’s requirements to determine when the players can begin to play again. It generally takes about 10 days for the players to heal after using Bactrim.

Perhaps the biggest positive about the antibiotic is its effectiveness against MRSA at Monmouth College. “We feel pretty safe in the fact that we’re taking care of it in a way that it doesn’t matter if it’s one of the severe strains or not,” Foster said.

Although the MRSA infection is being controlled on the Monmouth College campus, the infection can potentially be harmful and even fatal. MRSA caused the death of 18,650 people in 2005, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Monmouth College students need to educate themselves and take this matter seriously, according to College officials. Students are encouraged to practice very good personal hygiene, especially after having contact with other people.

CNN.com advises people to wash their hands often, clean and cover wounds and avoid sharing personal items. Students should seek immediate attention if they think they might be infected.

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