A freshman gym rat came down with a serious staph infection last week.
Glenn Tolentino spent two days in the St. Louis University Hospital, beginning Thursday, Oct. 18, to receive treatment for the potentially fatal illness. Tolentino and his doctors believe that he likely contracted the infection in the Simon Recreation Center.
“My nurses and doctors said [the infection] was probably from the Rec, from working out on the machines,” Tolentino said. “They’re pretty sure, but not 100 percent.”
Eric Anderson, director of the Simon Recreation Center, said his staff takes care to keep facilities as hygienic as possible. He said that he was not aware of a single reported case of MRSA from the Simon Recreation Center in the eight years he has been at the University.
The first sign of Tolentino’s infection appeared on the morning of Monday, Oct. 15, when he noticed what looked like a “small mosquito bite” on his right leg. By that afternoon, much of his leg had become painfully swollen.
Tolentino visited the Student Health and Counseling Center clinic; the nurses there quickly had the Department of Public Safety drive him to Saint Louis University Hospital.
Tolentino said that the physicians there diagnosed him with a case of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, a partially drug-resistant bacterial infection. Tolentino was prescribed antibiotics and released late Monday night.
Tolentino returned to the hospital that Thursday after the swelling had spread to his foot and ankle. He said that inflammation was accompanied by intense pain.
“It was really painful, walking along,” Tolentino said. “My leg was stiff and had piercing pain.”
During his second hospitalization, Tolentino was diagnosed with a severe case of MRSA. He was prescribed new medication and attached to an IV. On Oct. 19, physicians operated on Tolentino, draining fluid from his leg.
Tolentino’s condition improved, and he was released from the hospital on Friday afternoon. He remains on antibiotics and said that he still finds walking painful.
Tolentino said that his doctors indicated that his infection could have spread throughout his body and led to death if it had gone untreated. The physician who directed Tolentino’s treatment was unavailable as of press time.
A report issued by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this month determined that approximately 90,000 Americans contract serious staph infections each year, leading to approximately 20,000 deaths. More Americans may die from staph infections than AIDS each year.
“I’m just really glad I survived it,” Tolentino said. “I never thought that this could happen to me.”
Working out at the gym is a common way of a contracting the disease. Tolentino is an avid weight lifter and frequented the Simon Recreation Center before the onset of his illness. He said that he had gotten out of the habit of cleaning exercise machines before or after using them.
“[My infection] makes me more cautious to use the machines,” Tolentino said. “They have wipes there, and they’re there for a reason.”
Anderson said that the Simon Recreation Center staff follows strict procedures to maintain cleanliness and prevent the spread of disease.
“I would reassure that students that we are using good practices in keeping our facility cleaned and disinfected,” Anderson said.
Anderson asked gym goers to do their part to keep the Simon Recreation Center clean.
“We also encourage our patrons to use good gym etiquette and wipe down their machines after each use by providing both disinfectant wipes and spray bottles at our facilities,” Anderson said. “I also would say it is appropriate to ask other users to clean off machines after they have used them.”
Anderson also suggested that patrons use separate towels to clean the machines and to wipe sweat off their own bodies.
