Hair, the best protection against disease.
Posted on 11/19/2004 6:32:42 AM PST by TaxRelief
...Medical experts are observing the emergence of a relatively new strain [of Staph infections], known as community-acquired MRSA, among gay and bisexual men, athletes, prisoners and Native Americans.
Since a staph outbreak among gay men in Los Angeles in early 2003, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention identified five major factors that facilitate the transmission of the infection: close contact, crowding, cleanliness, contaminated items and surfaces, and compromised skin integrity, said Nicole Coffin, a CDC spokesperson.
The compromised skin integrity category includes tiny abrasions that may occur during "manscaping" -- the cosmetic shaving of body parts popular with some gay men.
A recent study of a college football team in Connecticut found that 10 of the team's 100 players acquired MRSA during an eight-week period, and those who shaved body parts other than the face were six times more likely to be infected.
"Body shaving is likely to produce microabrasions," wrote study author Elizabeth Begier, a researcher with the Connecticut Department of Public Health. "This emerging cosmetic behavior among young men may contribute to the risk of infection in populations of athletes, especially in areas covered by clothing."
The study appeared in the Nov. 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases and noted "turf burns" and whirlpools as factors that also may help spread staph.
Both body shaving and the whirlpools found at bathhouses are suspected of helping fuel the spread of staph among gay men, Melton said.
"It's been known for some time that shaving could promote skin infection," said Melton, who noted many doctors now clip, instead of shave, a patient before surgery.
The towels and linens recycled among men at bathhouses and in locker rooms at gyms may also facilitate the spread of staph, Melton said.
People with HIV may be more at risk for acquiring staph because of their "increased exposure to antibiotics and the healthcare setting," according to the CDC. They may also be more susceptible to severe illness if infected with MRSA, Melton said.
Gay men who use anabolic steroids for bodybuilding may also increase their chances of contracting staph if they develop acne or other skin infections, Melton said.
Skin-to-skin contact is the most common mode of transmission for community-acquired MRSA, which usually appears in the form of a swollen, puss-filled skin boil. But the infection may also progress into a life-threatening blood stream infection if antibiotics fail to control it, said Coffin from the CDC.
Staph is the most common cause of skin or soft tissue infection in the U.S., and 90 percent of infections continue to occur in a hospital setting, Coffin said. But no national reporting system to track the prevalence of staph exists, mainly because of how varied its severity is, she said.
Four states--Connecticut, Minnesota, Georgia and Maryland--are collecting data on MRSA to help the CDC better understand the illness, according to the CDC.
According to a study published in the June 2004 issue of the Georgia Epidemiology Report, a publication of the state Department of Public Health, community-acquired MRSA infections accounted for 8 percent of all MRSA cases in Georgia in 2002, up from 4 percent in 2001.
The average community-acquired MRSA patient in the study, which reviewed data from eight counties surrounding Atlanta, was 38 years old, whereas patients who acquired MRSA in a hospital setting were an average age of 67.
The public health researchers wrote that they wish to continue to study the impact of MRSA in Georgia "by adding these infections to the list of notifiable diseases."
Top of article: Commonly mistaken by patients and doctors as a spider bite, a strain of staph continues to puzzle health experts who aren't sure how prevalent the drug-resistant bacterial skin disease is, or exactly what contributes to its spread.
"There's still no clear reason why this particular strain of staph is spreading," said Dennis Melton, a physician with the Infectious Disease Group of Atlanta. "But the incidence seems to continue to increase."
The infection, known medically as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, surfaced more than two decades ago, but was commonly found only in the elderly or individuals who had been hospitalized.
Basically, humans were not meant to have very close contact with multiple people.
They're just being good little liberals and not wearing fur, that's all. It's their own fur, but still...
}:-)4
"why aren't women more susceptible. They shave their legs almost daily"
These gays are shaving at the bath house and sharing the same razor. This is just as dangerous to one's health as needle sharing among addicts.
That's why aftershave lotions contain alcohol.
Body contact of infected carbuncles may be the main reason.Causes, incidence, and risk factors:
A carbuncle consists of several furuncles that develop close together. They expand and join together to form a larger mass (aggregation of cells) with multiple drainage points. This mass may be deeper beneath the skin surface than simple furuncles. They develop slowly, and may be so deep that they do not drain on their own. Carbuncles may develop anywhere, but they are most common on the back and the nape of the neck. Carbuncles are less common than boils. Men are more prone to carbuncles than women.
Staph skin infections are contagious. They may spread to other areas of the body, and may spread to other people. It is not uncommon for several family members to be affected at the same time. Poor hygiene, run-down physical condition, friction from clothing or shaving, and similar factors may make them more likely. Diabetics and people with suppressed immune systems are more prone to development of staph skin infections, as are people with dermatitis, pernicious anemia, and other disorders. Often, however, no direct cause is found for furunculosis or carbunculosis.
Native Americans???? They mention NAs and don't say WHY they're included in this group. Odd.
Swimmers should probably watch out, since they traditionally "shave for speed"....
You could lacerate yourself 1000 times a day and not get it. The bacteria has to be present in the environment.
Just like in real estate it is location, location, location.
Women tend to shave in the privacy of their own homes and judging from my own behavior, I am assuming they use clean towels to dry off with.
These guys are shaving in a "steam room" like setting, and using community towels.
Humid and warm is the perfect medium for bacteria to grow.
well, it is a matter to discuss. Women shave their bodies routinely. Athletes, swimmers I think, shave their bodies too. It does seem somehow unmanly for gay men to do it, but it isn't exactly perverse. Besides, have you heard of bikini waxes? Are those perverse. I don't think I would get my knickers in a know over this.
But I have always viewed hot tubs with suspicion and wouldn't get in one for anything if others had used it.
There was an article about MRSA in the last issue of Men's Health. It killed a college football player a few years ago, and the NFL has started warning all players about it. The article stated it can be transferred in any number of ways, even through such acts as towel snapping.
Okay thanks... just wondering the connection. I do know that men should take care when using razors on their faces. shave in the direction of the hair growth so they don't get shave bumps. I've had clients with really bad skin damage from that.
Hair, the best protection against disease.
how do get rid of carbuncles, i got one and i am straight!!
castor oil packs
Yes, I agree, we should ban football. See post#1
Not a word about gays....just those damned football players....how disgusting.
LOL
It could be a lack of HOT water and lack of a clean razor coupled with close, personal contact almost immediately after shaving are to blame.
Any shaving, face or body, removes a fine layer of skin cells, leaving the pores open for any contaminates that might find a host.
That's why alcoholic based aftershaves burn. The shaved area is akin to an open wound.
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