Indy seeks to clarify Manning's comments on staph
Indianapolis Star columnist Bob Kravitz was working on a column Thursday about the rise of staph infections around the NFL. During Peyton Manning's weekly gaggle -- which I was part of -- Kravitz asked the quarterback if concerns were rising among players. There was a follow up question about whether the infected bursa sac he had removed from his left knee in July was a staph infection and another question about if the first or second surgery was related to the staph infection.
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Here's that piece of Manning's conversation with the media:
How concerned are you about all these infections? [Tom] Brady's going through all kinds of stuff, you had yours, a number of players now, is this a real concern for a lot of players?
Peyton Manning: Yeah. Mine's a pretty isolated incident. Something that, just because of the fluid that I had. I think Brady's is a post-surgery deal. Now what's going on in Cleveland, I couldn't tell you about that. They've had a number of players there. And I think you've got to be careful, summarizing that the whole NFL's got an infection just because me and Brady had one. So, I think mine was a pretty isolated deal.
Was yours staph? Was you're a staph infection in the bursa?
PM: It was. It was, yeah. Just because of the fluid that was kind of hanging in there was kind of why. All I know about it is kind of what mine was.
That was the first or the second surgery ... that was staph?
PM: I just had one infection, you know. So it was the first surgery was to remove the staph infection of the bursa sac. Once they took it out, the infection was gone.
After that, reports about it and Kravitz's column, the Colts felt compelled to clarify things and just sent out a news release a little while ago.
The confusion seems to be over the difference between staph and MRSA -- methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
Here's a copy of the release.
FACTS CONCERNING QB-PEYTON MANNING'S KNEE SURGERY (released in consultation with club physicians to provide accuracy with respect to medical facts)
"Peyton Manning developed swelling in his left pre-patella bursa in late February. The swollen bursa was treated conservatively beginning in February with drainage and anti-inflammatory medication. The first signs of infection occurred while he was in New Orleans in July. It should be noted that infection developed prior to any surgery. Upon manifestation of the signs of infection, he immediately had surgery to remove the bursa sac. Concurrently, he was treated aggressively with antibiotics, and the infection was eliminated. The second procedure (tacking of the skin to eliminate the bursal space) was designed to ensure the complete and swift resolution of the bursal problem. The procedure was successful. The second procedure was in no way, shape or form, related to the infection. The second procedure did not delay his rehabilitation or recovery materially. It also should be noted emphatically that, at no time, did he have MRSA. It is clear from consultation with our physicians, including infectious disease specialists, that staph is a societal medical problem. There is no empirical evidence that indicates to our physicians there is a problem related to resistant staph (MRSA) with respect to the Indianapolis Colts."
**For further information about staph and MRSA, which clearly are two different organisms, please consult www.cdc.gov.
I went from there to this page and found this:
MRSA is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a potentially dangerous type of staph bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics and may cause skin and other infections.
No one suggested the Colts had anything but one isolated incident, albeit a high-profile one because it was Manning's. But he said three times that it was staph, and the CDC says MRSA is a type of staph.
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