Paper towel dispensers and bottles of cleanser hang in the Recreation Center for people to clean the exercise equipment they use.
But in some cases, the cleanser remains unused as the next, unsuspecting students prepare for their workout.
An unscientific Daily Egyptian study found that roughly half of the people who work out at the Recreation Center do not use anti-bacterial cleaners to sanitize equipment after they are done exercising.
Alexxa Condon, a junior from Joliet studying political science and business administration, said she is concerned about the infections that can be transmitted as a result.
Condon said she worked at a gymnasium in Joliet managed by a man with obsessive-compulsive disorder. She said that meant most of her time on the clock was spent cleaning the equipment.
"You could eat off of the toilets there," Condon said of the Joliet facility's cleanliness.
Skin-to-skin contact is the most common way to spread Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, a staph infection commonly known as MRSA, said Dr. Deedra McLain of the Student Health Center.
McLain said the bacteria-based infection enters the body through breaks in the skin, and can cause abscesses, boils and other pus-filled lesions that may look like a spider bite at first. MRSA is more aggressive than any other staph infection because it is resistant to most antibiotics, she said.
"MRSA is not a problem just in our campus community, but it is a problem statewide and nationwide," McLain said.
Though there are some oral antibiotics that can be used to treat MRSA, McLain said she has seen some cases so severe that hospitalization was required. People who have diabetes, HIV or are taking immune system-suppressive drugs should take extra caution to avoid MRSA, she said.
McLain said she applauds the Recreation Center's efforts for making sanitizer available throughout the building.
Student and professional staff at the Recreation Center clean exercise machines, sports equipment benches and mats throughout the building every day before it opens, said Alan Selander, a personal trainer at the Recreation Center.
Selander said he has not known of any cases this year, but would not be surprised if it were to happen.
"It doesn't concern me, but I wish people made (cleaning) an initiative," he said.
McLain said she did not know the exact number of people the Student Health Center has diagnosed with MRSA this year, but knows it is not higher than usual.
Selander said he also encourages the Recreation Center's patrons to keep their shirts on to prevent infections from spreading.
Barton Lorimor can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 263 or barton.lorimor@siude.com.
