Area Coaches, Schools Prepare For Staph

Courtesy of the Dalton Daily Citizen
Written by Larry Fleming
Published: July 16, 2006

Veteran Murray County football coach Bill Napier had never dealt with staph infections before last season when five of players were affected.

Staph infection has been around as long as athletics, but coaches and trainers are quickly learning that the problem has become more serious because of the evolution of Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, which is resistant to common antibiotics such as penicillin, oxacillin and amoxicillin.

"Last year was the first time we had any staph infections," Napier said. "We had about five and all I know is that it got there from something. It got there somehow."

In an escalating battle against staph, Napier and other local coaches have gotten to know Perry Motley, technical sales representative for Chem-Tex Inc., a local company that has served the carpet industry for 25 years.

Chem-Tex provides schools with Bac-Shield WS4, a high-priced solution derived from a natural antimicrobial (chitosan) that occurs in crab shells, a plentiful and renewable source.

Bac-Shield has proven highly effective as a treatment to provide antibacterial and antifungal protection to the treated materials, thus minimizing the risk of staph infection. It can be sprayed in locker rooms, weight rooms and on athletic equipment such as shoulder pads, helmets, baseball bat handles, catcher's equipment, wrestling mats, shoes and blocking dummies.

It is also used during the washing of uniforms, practice clothing, towels and socks.

"To me this community needs to know what's going on, that staph infection is a widespread problem in athletics and schools in general," said Motley, who has been with Chem-Tex for three years after working 20 years with Shaw Industries. "In every case, test results indicate our product is effective 99.9 percent of the time."

Motley said he currently distributes Bac-Shield to 47 high schools, including Murray County, Dalton, Northwest Whitfield and Southeast.

"Earlier in the week I got my first phone call from Cherokee County for a sell I didn't initiate," Motley said. "That's encouraging."

Motley said North Carolina State University and the Marine Corps also use Bac-Shield in their fight against staph.

"Overall, sales have been somewhat slower than anticipated, but I believe that's because this is a relatively new product," Motley said. "Still, we're past the point where this is well worth our effort."

Bac-Shield WS4 doesn't come cheap. Schools can spend up to $800 for a five-gallon container of the solution. That supply, however, can last about a full year at a big high school, Motley said.

That's a wise investment considering the potential financial cost of treating a severe case of MRSA, which could lead to extended hospital care and treatment.

According to the WebMD Web site, the infection is spread through direct contact with the bacteria, which live on items such as uniforms, razors, towels and an athlete's skin. Skin-to-skin contact between football players, along with a frequency of abrasions and poor hygiene habits of teenagers, makes prep athletes highly susceptible to staph infection.

"Staph is a serious thing," Dalton football coach and athletic director Ronnie McClurg said, "especially if you don't get on top of the problem. We had a problem before and didn't realize it. Last season was the first time our doctors said it was definitely staph. I know one thing now, it's dangerous."

McClurg said he is satisfied with the effectiveness of Bac-Shield in the day-to-day routine of keeping equipment and clothing clean.

"(Motley) actually took every bit of our cloth products and saturated them with that chemical in the wash," McClurg said. "We had a low-grade staph infection up to that point, but none after that. It was incredible."

Mike Falleur, athletic director and football coach at Northwest Whitfield, joined his coaching colleagues in saying that before last year he had never dealt with staph infection to his knowledge.

"It started showing up more and more," he said. "I'm not an expert, but I don't think you can ever completely get rid of it. You have to constantly battle and educate your players and parents to the point that your preventative measures have to become routine."

Falleur said the school will provide players with supplies of Bac-Shield this fall to use when they wash their uniforms at home.

"We're providing them with spray bottles and teaching them how to mix the solution with water to use when they wash their uniforms at home," Falleur said.

Some schools in Georgia have gone so far as to hire professional cleaners to disinfect athletic facilities with bleach.

"This is serious," Falleur said. "I remember reading about a kid in Dublin who was in a hospital for an extended period of time. It's a tough battle we all have to be aware of."