A new bacterial strain may be flexing at your gym

When Kathy Magilton goes to a gym, she opens the door with her sleeve. She uses hand sanitizer numerous times. She places a towel on every bench she uses. She wipes down every machine with disinfectant before and after she touches it - not to mention any phone she uses while on the premises.

Even a few years ago, Ms. Magilton, a personal trainer, would have been considered a fastidious, obsessive germophobe. But today, she's merely exercising reasonable caution about her health and the health of those around her.

The stakes are higher at gyms across North America this season, according to health experts. In addition to the usual threats - athlete's foot, colds and flu - experts say there could be another health danger lurking at the gym.

A new strain of the bacteria called methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, is spreading fairly rapidly across Canada, says Michael Mulvey of the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg.

The enclosed gym environment, with its bare skin, sweaty equipment and dirty towels can be particularly kind to the bacterium, which often shows up as skin lesions such as boils. While it may clear up on its own, if left untreated it can infect the bloodstream, urinary tract, lungs and heart.

So while gym-going has always been a communal experience, gym devotees are increasingly aware of their responsibilities to each other. "It's a shared experience," says Janet Emmett, the vice president of association services and leadership development at YMCA Canada.

Staph infections, as they're called, used to be associated with communities of people without much say in the matter - hospitals, nursing homes and jails.

"Now we're seeing it in otherwise healthy young people and children, such as high-school athletes," says Kent Aftergut, a doctor of dermatological surgery and spokesman for the American Society for Dermatological Surgery.

While he says he can't know for sure where the patients he is treating picked up their bacterium, he is leading an awareness campaign that hinges on personal responsibility. "I don't want people to not work out," he says. "But they should take basic precautions."

The new MRSA strain, called "community-associated" to connote that it spreads outside of its usual institutional haunts, was first recorded in Canada seven years ago.

The good news is it's usually more susceptible to antibiotics than the hospital strain. The bad news: It's spreading and becoming more resistant with time. And in rare cases, it carries a toxin that can lead to something called necrotizing pneumonia, which causes the death of lung tissue, says Dr. Mulvey.

Gym operators say they have noticed members changing their hygiene habits in light of this kind of health news.

"The average consumer is not only health-conscious, but conscious of diseases and illness," says Taso Pappas, the chief operating officer for Toronto-area fitness chain Extreme Fitness.

For instance, 60 to 70 per cent of the members bring their own yoga mats instead of using the ones the gym provides, even though these are cleaned regularly, says Mr. Pappas.

"Even in aqua-fit classes, people bring their own noodles," he adds. They're also wiping down equipment more and using new hand sanitizer stations.

In an era when Purell has become a verb, gym owners are scrambling to meet the new demand for cleanliness.

Many gym owners say they upgraded their practices in the wake of the SARS epidemic, increasing their cleaning staff during peak hours, posting hygiene etiquette signs, and training all staff about the importance of keeping both their hands and high-traffic zones clean.

At YMCAs across Canada, for instance, sinks are cleaned once an hour, says Ms. Emmett.

"SARS was a wake-up call," says Mr. Pappas.

At his gyms, employees are told not to come to work if they're sick. "Considering the volume of people, even if you just have the sniffles the chances of passing on an illness is very high."

Still, some members may show up sick themselves. To avoid being ostracized, though, they're familiar with the new etiquette of gym-sharing.

That's Christine Andrews' approach. The Toronto communications consultant and mother of two says she's had a lingering cold and has been vigilant about her visits to the Boulevard Club. She says she's no longer contagious, but does these things for the sake of others because she still sounds sick.

"You've seen people coughing in the gym - ew," she says. "I don't want to be that person."

She says she's learned from her children the new public-health practice of coughing into one's sleeve instead of one's hand. She wipes down every machine she uses with the gym-provided disinfectant and rubs Purell on her hands about four times a workout.

Even if it's for appearance's sake, it's the new social order at the gym. "It can't hurt, that's what it boils down to," she says.

*****

Gym hygiene 101

Tips on keeping yourself and others healthy at the gym, from Michael Mulvey of the National Microbiology Lab, Kent Aftergut of the American Society for Dermatological Surgery and Toronto personal trainer Kathy Magilton.

DO

Cover up. You're less likely to contract a skin rash if you're wearing long sleeves and pants instead of tanks and short shorts.

Wipe down machines before and after use. If you don't have disinfectant on hand, even wiping with a towel will "reduce the load" of potential bacteria, Dr. Mulvey says. (Just don't use the towel on yourself afterward.)

Wear bandages on open sores or wounds.

Place a towel on benches you will be touching with bare skin.

Bring your own yoga mat.

Wear flip-flops in the shower.

Thoroughly wash your hands before and after exercising.

Get out of sweaty clothes and shower after your workout.

DON'T

Go to the gym with a cold or flu.

Share equipment, towels, nail clippers, brushes or razors.

Use the same towel for the whole workout. The longer you use it, the greater the risk of spreading bacteria.

Ignore your skin. Monitor how your skin reacts after a gym visit. If there is continued irritation, visit your doctor.

Touch your face or rub your eyes without first washing your hands.

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