Students think there may be MRSA in McIver Residence Hall shower

Students living on campus are wondering if a potential outbreak of the MRSA infection originated from a shower curtain in their communal bathroom.

MRSA, a strain of staphylococcus bacteria that is resistant to the antibiotic methicillin, is sometimes known as a “superbug” because it has a super ability to be almost everywhere, epidemiology professor Steve Wing said. 

MRSA can even appear in dorm showers — something sophomore Emma Holcomb learned at Campus Health Services.

“When I talked to my doctor at Campus Health about it, she asked me if I volunteered at the hospital and if I showered at the gym, and I said no,” Holcomb said. “But then she asked me if I use communal bathrooms, and I told her I live in a dorm, and she said that could be where I acquired it. And frankly, my dorm bathroom is pretty disgusting, so I was not shocked.”

Holcomb said they’re not certain the bacterial strain came from the bathroom.

“I can’t say for sure that I got it from the dorms,” they said.

Sophomore Allory Bors, who lives near Holcomb in McIver Residence Hall, heard about the suspected MRSA in their dorm bathroom and decided to visit their doctor.

“My doctor doubts it came from the bathroom, but I would appreciate it if the shower curtain with the suspected MRSA or mold or whatever was investigated or removed,” Bors said.

“I know that everyone carries MRSA on their skin, so I’m not 100 percent sure (it’s from the shower), so I’m not really that worried.”

Dr. Mary Covington, executive director of Campus Health Services, said it’s impossible to tell exactly where a patient has acquired MRSA, as it’s such a common “skin organism.”

“Twenty-five to 33 percent of us have staph on our body at any particular time, so I think it’s almost impossible to tell where someone acquired it unless there is an outbreak,” she said. “It’s not just common among college students. It is common in communal environments where a lot of people are in a high-density area. So, for example, in gyms, prisons, in camps and in residence halls, or houses where there’s a lot of individuals living in it, like a sorority house or fraternity house.”

Covington said if a student suspects they have acquired a MRSA infection, they should look out for painful red bumps that become inflamed.

“I’m going to make an analogy — we all get pimples. It gets swollen and tender and red, and eventually it will get that pustule,” she said.

Rick Bradley, associate director of housing and residential education, said he has received no reports of MRSA in bathrooms of any residence halls.

Holcomb, a public health student, said infections like MRSA require medical attention.

“If you have any staph infection, MRSA especially, you should cover it and go to the doctor,” Holcomb said.

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