![]() ![]() That study, conducted by the Center for Sports Surface Research at Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, found that the bacteria on a number of surfaces with which athletes commonly come into contact, such as towels and blocking pads, but that the tested synthetic turf did not contain any S. However, the bacteria did not appear to thrive under those conditions, as the numbers of surviving bacteria decreased significantly with time. Under non-extreme temperature and very limited light conditions present during the indoor portion of a separate ongoing study at Penn State, the staph bacteria survived on both synthetic and natural turfgrass for multiple days. "Based on the findings of the survey, concern that infilled synthetic turf harbours and provides a breeding ground for is unwarranted," the authors concluded. They found that the number of staph microbes that existed on synthetic turf surfaces was low compared to those on natural grass fields. In the 2011 study, Penn State researchers tested samples collected from infilled synthetic turf fields in Pennsylvania used by all levels of play ranging from elementary to professional. One of the studies (Begier 2004) also suggested that small cuts from body shaving - an increasingly common practice among young male athletes - provided an avenue for infection. Instead, the studies said that the most likely causes for the outbreaks were poor sanitary conditions in locker rooms and training facilities, and physical contact between players. While both studies concluded that turf burns caused by synthetic turf could facilitate skin infection through person-to-person contact, neither suggested that the players contracted the infection directly from bacteria in the synthetic turf itself. ![]() Two previous studies (Kasakova 2005 Begier 2004) examined the causes and the role of infilled synthetic turf in MRSA outbreaks in football teams. Skin infections associated with contact with synthetic turf have received national attention in recent years, but there is no scientific evidence to support concern that the surfaces of infilled synthetic turf (the kind containing crumb rubber found in all fields built since the late 1990's) harbor the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium, the bacteria that cause MRSA, says a recent study.
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