Thursday, December 1, 2011
DALLAS, TEX., December 1, 2011 –Community-acquired MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) is on the rise in healthy athletic populations. However, greater use of soaps medicated with chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) might help stem the spread of this dangerous bacterium, according to a new study. Published in the December 2011 Journal of Athletic Training, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association’s scientific publication, “Evaluation of Persistent Antimicrobial Effects of an Antimicrobial Formulation” showed that using a soap product containing 4 percent CHG was far more effective at killing the MRSA bacterium than was using a non-medicated soap.
“MRSA is well known to cause skin infections that can be rapidly invasive and difficult to treat,” said Michael S. Ferrara, PhD, ATC, from the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Georgia and co-author of the report. “MRSA can sometimes even progress to severe systemic illnesses, such as osteomyelitis, pneumonia, and even death, so it’s imperative to find ways not only to treat the disease as it is diagnosed, but also to stop it from spreading.”
In the past most skin infections could be treated effectively with penicillin or other antibiotics, but in recent years more infections have become antibiotic-resistant. For that reason MRSA is now one of the most common skin and soft tissue infections seen at hospital emergency departments. It has also become a serious concern in athletic training rooms and medical clinics because athletes who are infected are generally healthy and do not possess the risk factors typically associated with MRSA infections.
Given that a number of soaps that contain CHG are commercially available, the specific objective of NATA’s study was to determine the antimicrobial properties of a soap containing a 4 percent solution of CHG compared to non-medicated soap. The results of the study concluded that far fewer bacteria were recovered from forearms washed with a medicated soap containing CHG than from those washed with nonmedicated soap. In fact, those using the medicated soap showed 95 percent fewer surviving bacteria than those using non-medicated soaps – even up to four hours after the initial use of the product.
Twenty healthy volunteers were recruited for the study that included a seven-day preconditioning period and test day. The test and control products were randomly assigned and applied to each forearm of the participants. Each forearm was washed for two minutes with the test or control product and rinsed and dried. At one, two and four hours after application, each forearm was exposed to MRSA for approximately 30 minutes.
“Our study shows that the use of medicated soap products containing CHG will provide persistent protection from infectious MRSA bacteria while soap products without CHG will not,” added Ron Courson, ATC, study co-author, University of Georgia Athletic Association. “A comprehensive hygiene plan that includes a soap containing CHG, as well as proper recognition, diagnosis and treatment of MRSA can work together to minimize the transmission and adverse effects of this life-threatening disease.”
NATA has also published a position statement on skin disease that lists detailed information on MRSA as well as prevention, diagnosis, treatment and return-to-play guidelines.
National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) – Health Care for Life & Sport
Athletic trainers are health care professionals who specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries and sport-related illnesses. They prevent and treat chronic musculoskeletal injuries from sports, physical and occupational activity, and provide immediate care for acute injuries. Athletic trainers offer a continuum of care that is unparalleled in health care. The National Athletic Trainers' Association represents and supports 34,000 members of the athletic training profession
“MRSA is well known to cause skin infections that can be rapidly invasive and difficult to treat,” said Michael S. Ferrara, PhD, ATC, from the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Georgia and co-author of the report. “MRSA can sometimes even progress to severe systemic illnesses, such as osteomyelitis, pneumonia, and even death, so it’s imperative to find ways not only to treat the disease as it is diagnosed, but also to stop it from spreading.”
In the past most skin infections could be treated effectively with penicillin or other antibiotics, but in recent years more infections have become antibiotic-resistant. For that reason MRSA is now one of the most common skin and soft tissue infections seen at hospital emergency departments. It has also become a serious concern in athletic training rooms and medical clinics because athletes who are infected are generally healthy and do not possess the risk factors typically associated with MRSA infections.
Given that a number of soaps that contain CHG are commercially available, the specific objective of NATA’s study was to determine the antimicrobial properties of a soap containing a 4 percent solution of CHG compared to non-medicated soap. The results of the study concluded that far fewer bacteria were recovered from forearms washed with a medicated soap containing CHG than from those washed with nonmedicated soap. In fact, those using the medicated soap showed 95 percent fewer surviving bacteria than those using non-medicated soaps – even up to four hours after the initial use of the product.
Twenty healthy volunteers were recruited for the study that included a seven-day preconditioning period and test day. The test and control products were randomly assigned and applied to each forearm of the participants. Each forearm was washed for two minutes with the test or control product and rinsed and dried. At one, two and four hours after application, each forearm was exposed to MRSA for approximately 30 minutes.
“Our study shows that the use of medicated soap products containing CHG will provide persistent protection from infectious MRSA bacteria while soap products without CHG will not,” added Ron Courson, ATC, study co-author, University of Georgia Athletic Association. “A comprehensive hygiene plan that includes a soap containing CHG, as well as proper recognition, diagnosis and treatment of MRSA can work together to minimize the transmission and adverse effects of this life-threatening disease.”
NATA has also published a position statement on skin disease that lists detailed information on MRSA as well as prevention, diagnosis, treatment and return-to-play guidelines.
National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) – Health Care for Life & Sport
Athletic trainers are health care professionals who specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries and sport-related illnesses. They prevent and treat chronic musculoskeletal injuries from sports, physical and occupational activity, and provide immediate care for acute injuries. Athletic trainers offer a continuum of care that is unparalleled in health care. The National Athletic Trainers' Association represents and supports 34,000 members of the athletic training profession