2008 Woodie Awards
Staph infections get tougher to fight
Zhi Xiong - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 4/11/07 Section: Metro
- Page 1 of 1
Hawkeye gymnast Reid Urbain took photos of his staph infection - a fiery red lump dotted by a small, painful scab. Blue ink marked the edges of the inflammation, which covered much of his forearm.
"At first [my coach] thought, 'Oh, it's an abrasion; we'll see how it is tomorrow,' " the freshman said. "But it got worse."
Urbain had contracted staphylococcus aureus - a bacteria that spreads easily through bodily fluids. In serious cases, staph results in 12,000 fatalities each year, according to WebMD.
Because it infects through breaks in the skin, staph was traditionally associated with hospitalization and surgeries. But experts say staph has become increasingly resistant to stronger treatments since the 1980s.
When a Band-Aid and Neosporin failed to reduce the painful swelling, Urbain was sent to UI Student Health Service - where his physician thought it was a less severe strain of staph - cellulitis.
Unfortunately, even prescription drugs did not work. Urbain was transferred to the UI Hospitals and Clinics for further treatment and tests.
The first treatment failed, illustrating the trend of more drug-resistant staph. The bacteria's resistance is fueled by overuse of antibiotics, said Cassie Rice, a research assistant in the UI pathology department.
"You can use different drugs," she said. "But mainly you need to watch when you prescribe antibiotics to not overly prescribe."
Urbain tested negative for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, the most drug-resistant of the 30 strains, but it took more than two weeks and several prescriptions for the infection to recede.
Though staph is carried by about 25 percent of the general population in the nose, mouth, and other orifices, it can easily enter cuts and abrasions to cause an infection.
Symptoms vary widely - from painful swellings such as Urbain's to urinary-tract infections or, in more serious cases, toxic-shock syndrome.
UI senior Zac Eggers, a nursing major, regularly sees staph patients at the UIHC.
"We take special precautions because it's so hard to get rid of," he said.
Urbain said he might have contracted it from an infected surface or, more unlikely, the wristbands he uses for practice.
Eggers said staph requires a human host, dispelling misconceptions that it can be spread through grimy locker rooms and germ-infested water. He said the disease is most contagious in a one- to two-week period, during which Urbain was essentially quarantined to prevent spreading it to teammates.
"I was out for a week," he said. "I missed practice because I couldn't touch anything."
Urbain's trainer, Tony Taylor, said although staph remains a rare occurrence on the team, recognizing and isolating skin infections is key.
"If we see signs of infection, it gets referred right to the doctor," he said. "It's standard."
E-mail DI reporter Zhi Xiong at:
zhi-xiong@uiowa.edu
"At first [my coach] thought, 'Oh, it's an abrasion; we'll see how it is tomorrow,' " the freshman said. "But it got worse."
Urbain had contracted staphylococcus aureus - a bacteria that spreads easily through bodily fluids. In serious cases, staph results in 12,000 fatalities each year, according to WebMD.
Because it infects through breaks in the skin, staph was traditionally associated with hospitalization and surgeries. But experts say staph has become increasingly resistant to stronger treatments since the 1980s.
When a Band-Aid and Neosporin failed to reduce the painful swelling, Urbain was sent to UI Student Health Service - where his physician thought it was a less severe strain of staph - cellulitis.
Unfortunately, even prescription drugs did not work. Urbain was transferred to the UI Hospitals and Clinics for further treatment and tests.
The first treatment failed, illustrating the trend of more drug-resistant staph. The bacteria's resistance is fueled by overuse of antibiotics, said Cassie Rice, a research assistant in the UI pathology department.
"You can use different drugs," she said. "But mainly you need to watch when you prescribe antibiotics to not overly prescribe."
Urbain tested negative for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, the most drug-resistant of the 30 strains, but it took more than two weeks and several prescriptions for the infection to recede.
Though staph is carried by about 25 percent of the general population in the nose, mouth, and other orifices, it can easily enter cuts and abrasions to cause an infection.
Symptoms vary widely - from painful swellings such as Urbain's to urinary-tract infections or, in more serious cases, toxic-shock syndrome.
UI senior Zac Eggers, a nursing major, regularly sees staph patients at the UIHC.
"We take special precautions because it's so hard to get rid of," he said.
Urbain said he might have contracted it from an infected surface or, more unlikely, the wristbands he uses for practice.
Eggers said staph requires a human host, dispelling misconceptions that it can be spread through grimy locker rooms and germ-infested water. He said the disease is most contagious in a one- to two-week period, during which Urbain was essentially quarantined to prevent spreading it to teammates.
"I was out for a week," he said. "I missed practice because I couldn't touch anything."
Urbain's trainer, Tony Taylor, said although staph remains a rare occurrence on the team, recognizing and isolating skin infections is key.
"If we see signs of infection, it gets referred right to the doctor," he said. "It's standard."
E-mail DI reporter Zhi Xiong at:
zhi-xiong@uiowa.edu
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