A NORTHERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY official confirms that an NMU men’s basketball player suffered a MRSA infection earlier this semester but that the player has recovered.
The infection, which has led to outbreaks in other cities, is potentially life threatening, but in NMU’s case, it was handled by the athletic medical staff, and was resolved. It involved only one player.
Derek Hall, the assistant vice president from marketing and communications, says the single infection was not enough to cause university-wide concern.
MRSA, an acronym for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is an infection caused by a type of staph bacteria that’s resistant to many antibiotics used to treat staph infections.
Most MRSA infections, according to the Mayo Clinic, occur in hospitals or other health care centers.
But another type of MRSA infection involves otherwise healthy people. It’s known as community-associated MRSA. It’s spread by skin-to-skin contact. It can occur among groups such as athletic teams, child care workers and people who live in crowded conditions.
The infections typically start as swollen, painful red bumps, almost like a pimple or spider bite.
Sometimes the bacteria remain in the skin but they can burrow deeper into the body causing more severe problems.
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