New Way to Fight MRSA

FOOTBALL LOCKER ROOMS ARE OFTEN WHERE STAPH INFECTIONS ARE SPREAD.

AND IT'S A GROWING CONCERN FOR LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS.

TONIGHT DICKSON COUNTY SCHOOLS ARE WARNING PARENTS ABOUT A NEW CASE OF M-R-S-A... WHICH IS A STAPH INFECTION RESISTENT TO MANY ANTIBIOTICS.

PREVENTING STAPH IS ALL ABOUT CLEANLINESS... ESPECIALLY ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD.

AT AREA HIGH SCHOOLS TONIGHT...

IT'S A BATTLE OF TWO UNDEFEATED TEAMS.

BUT THERE'S ANOTHER BATTLE HERE... ONE THAT'S MUCH HARDER TO SEE.

IT'S BETWEEN THE PLAYERS... AND THE GERMS INSIDE THEIR EQUIPMENT.

Dr. Anthony Newsome, MTSU Microbiologist: "We recover a large number of bacteria from sports equipment, and that is of no suprise to anyone."

AT M-T-S-U TONIGHT... FOOTBALL IS MOVING FROM THE FIELD TO THE LABORATORY.

MICROBIOLOGIST ANTHONY NEWSOME HAS SPENT THE PAST TWO YEARS... KILLING BACTERIA... LIKE STAPH, IN FOOTBALL EQUIPMENT.

Dr. Newsome: "You can find a tremendous number of bacteria on the underside of the mesh layer and into the foam padding."

DR. NEWSOME HAS BEEN RESEARCHING A NEW WAY TO KILL STAPH...

FIRST HE SPREADS THE BACTERIA ON THE PADS... AND THEN PLACES THE EQUIPMENT INSIDE GARBAGE BAGS.

Dr. Newsome: "So we can take this and stick this in the container."

NEXT HE THROWS IN A SMALL POUCH... FILLED WITH CHEMICALS THAT PRODUCE A DISINFECTING GAS CALLED CHLORINE DIOXIDE.

SEAL IT UP AND LET IT SIT OVERNIGHT... AND THE BACTERIA IS GONE.

Dr. Newsome: "The gas simply can reach those difficult to disinfect areas, and certainly with a piece of equipment like this all the corners and nooks and crannies, how are you going to manually go in there and disinfect this."

CHLORINE DIOXIDE IS ALREADY USED TO TREAT FOOD AND DRINKING WATER... BUT UNTIL NOW THE GAS HAS BEEN HARD TO TRANSPORT... THIS SMALL POUCH MAY BE THE KEY.

Dr. Newsome; "The bacteria are either totally eliminated or markedly reduced in all cases."

AND THE DISINFECTING GAS HAS ANOTHER BENEFIT... IT ALSO KILLS THE ODORS IN FOOTBALL EQUIPMENT... AND THAT MAY BE THE SWEETEST PART OF ALL.

A COMPANY IN GEORGIA IS NOW WORKING TO SELL THE CHLORINE GAS POUCHES TO SCHOOLS.

THEY MAY ALSO BE USED IN DAYCARES.. TO DISINFECT TOYSNew Way to Fight MRSA