MMRSA Guide
Microscopic illustration of MRSA (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria
Reference · Is MRSA contagious? · Sports

Preventing MRSA in sports, gyms and locker rooms

Contact sports combine three ideal conditions for MRSA — skin-to-skin contact, minor abrasions and shared humid equipment. The habits that break the chain are boring and effective.

Reviewed and updated by the MRSA Guide editorial team.

Habits that stop team outbreaks

  • Shower immediately after practice with soap and water. Don't wait until you get home.
  • Cover every wound — cuts, turf burns, mat burns, blisters — with a clean dressing before playing.
  • Don't share personal items — towels, razors, bar soap, water bottles, deodorant, hair clippers, uniforms or pads.
  • Launder hot, dry hot after every session. Don't leave sweaty kit in a locker or gym bag overnight.
  • Wipe down shared gear — mats, benches, helmets, pads, weight bars — with disinfectant daily.
  • Check skin regularly. Athletic trainers should do quick skin checks in wrestling, football and rugby, and report suspicious lesions.

When to pull an athlete

Return-to-play rules exist for a reason. Do not let an athlete practice or compete with an active, draining or uncovered MRSA lesion. Most guidance requires at least 72 hours of appropriate antibiotic therapy and a lesion that is dry and can be securely covered. Wrestling rules (NCAA and NFHS) are stricter — check the specific sport's requirements before clearing return.

If there's an active cluster

Two or more MRSA infections in a team within a short window is a cluster. Contact your local public health team. Typical outbreak-response measures include targeted nasal screening of contacts, decolonisation of confirmed carriers with mupirocin plus chlorhexidine washes, deep cleaning of the training environment, and temporary restrictions on skin-to-skin contact drills.

Related reading

Back to the prevention hub, or read about preventing MRSA at home, in hospitals and why MRSA comes back.

Frequently asked questions

How do athletes prevent MRSA?
Shower with soap immediately after every practice or game — do not wait until you get home. Cover any cut, scrape or turf burn with a clean dry dressing before playing. Don't share towels, razors, bar soap, water bottles, uniforms or protective gear. Launder workout clothes after every session on hot with tumble drying. Report any painful red spot or 'spider bite' that appears within days of contact to the athletic trainer.
Why is MRSA common in wrestlers and football players?
Wrestling, American football, rugby and other contact sports combine three ideal conditions for MRSA: skin-to-skin contact, minor abrasions from mats and turf, and shared equipment used in humid locker rooms. USA300 outbreaks have been documented in college and NFL teams. Wrestling has the highest attack rates in published studies.
Can I go back to training with a MRSA skin infection?
Not until the lesion has fully drained, is dry and can be securely covered with a dressing that will stay in place through practice — and, in most guidance, until you have completed at least 72 hours of appropriate antibiotic therapy. NCAA and NFHS rules for wrestling are stricter, usually requiring no new lesions for 48 hours and all lesions healed or securely covered.
Should teams disinfect mats and equipment?
Yes. Wrestling mats, weight benches, gym equipment, protective pads and helmets should be wiped down with a hospital-grade or EPA-registered disinfectant daily during heavy use. Shared uniforms and pinnies should be laundered after each use.
Should whole teams be screened for MRSA?
Routine nasal screening of asymptomatic athletes is not recommended by the CDC or sports-medicine bodies. When a team has an active cluster of infections, targeted screening and decolonisation of confirmed carriers is often used to break the outbreak.
Does chlorhexidine soap help?
During an outbreak, some teams switch to a 2% or 4% chlorhexidine body wash for daily showers over 5–10 days. Outside outbreak conditions, regular soap and water used consistently after every practice is enough for most athletes.

Is MRSA contagious?

The short answer, contagious period and surface survival.

MRSA bacteria: what it is and how it gets into the body

The organism, resistance, and the routes it uses to enter the body.

Hospitals & surgery

Hand hygiene, chlorhexidine bathing, screening and surgical prophylaxis.

At home & family

Wound care, laundry, cleaning and shared items.

Intimacy & sexual transmission

Skin-to-skin risk and when to abstain.

References
  1. CDC. MRSA and the workplace — athletes (2024)
  2. Kazakova S.V. et al., NEJM. A clone of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among professional football players (2005)
  3. National Athletic Trainers' Association. Position statement: skin diseases (2010)
  4. NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook. Skin infections in wrestling (2022)
  5. Begier E.M. et al., Clinical Infectious Diseases. A high-morbidity outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among players on a college football team (2004)
  6. AAP Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness. Skin infections in competitive sports (2017)
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