January 18, 2003
What's living
in your Hockey Bag?
Study digs deep for all the gory details
By Colette Derworizc, Calgary Herald
For all of the moms and dads
who have ever wondered what may be growing in those stinky, sweaty hockey bags,
we have all of the dirty details. The Biotechnology Training Centre at the
University of Calgary swabbed 10 items in a recently used hockey bag of a
20-year-old male. Among the samples taken were the helmet, skates, shin pads,
gloves, chest protector and the cup. "That was vile," Duncan
MacCannell, a U of C graduate student in microbiology and infectious diseases,
said soon after taking the swabs. He and Vicky Lau, a first-year university
student who has worked at the lab for two years, were in charge of the project
for the Herald as part of Esso Minor Hockey Week.
The severity of what bacteria could do, hit home at the end of December, when
Mikael Renberg of the Toronto Maple Leafs cut his hand while lacing up his
skates. An infection caused his hand to swell like a boxing glove, and led to
talk of amputation and even death. Fortunately for Renberg, his hand was spared.
But Leafs coach, Pat Quinn, suggested at the time the team needed to get its
equipment tested since a similar ailment forced goalie Ed Belfour to miss four
games last October.
In Calgary, where thousands of hockey players haul the stinky bags to and from
the rink each day, parents shudder to think what is growing on their children's
equipment. "It's pretty nasty," said hockey mom Lori Weisensel. She
said her 11-year-old son now showers immediately after games and hangs his
equipment to dry that evening. "The moms of the team have been approached
by the people who clean the equipment and the dads think that is just
funny," Weisensel said. "They are like, 'Oh, please, this is a hockey
team. It isn't ballet.'" Well, don't get too smug, all of you disparaging
dads. The hockey equipment tested for the Herald grew samples of both yeast and
bacteria. Lab manager Wendy Hutchins said the equipment should be aired out
after every game (bacteria thrives in dark and moist conditions) and could use a
good cleaning before being stored away for the summer.
But, she added, parents shouldn't sweat it. "None of it is really anything
to worry about, although every mother is going to have a bird," she said.
"This is the usual cloud of stuff we live in every day." Hutchins, who
has a doctorate in medical sciences, said all of the bacteria found is normal on
our skin or in our mouths in much lower concentrations. For example, most of the
samples contained staphylococcus epidermidis, a common member of the normal
florae of skin and mucous membranes.
Researchers found staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria that can sometimes get into
the body and cause infections, on the helmet. The infection caused by the
bacteria can be as minor as pimples, boils and other skin conditions or more
serious blood infections and pneumonia. "I doubt he is sweating that
bug," Hutchins said, noting there could have been small amounts in the
player's nose. "But if he were a surgeon in a hospital, a nurse would have
a swab up his nose so fast." The shin pads produced a puzzling result --
streptococcus viridans, an organism most abundant in the mouth -- for the team
of researchers. "If someone spit somewhere and he touched it with his shin
pad, he might pick it up," said Hutchins. "It shows how bacteria gets
around." Her main piece of advice to young hockey players: "Wash your
hands." The 20-year-old hockey player who let the Herald use his equipment
for the experiment did impress the U of C researchers on more than one front.
Hutchins said she expected to find more staphylococcus epidermidis on his
gloves. "That is a reflection of the fact that he washes his hands,"
she said, "so he's a good little hockey player." His skates were
clean, producing neither bacteria nor mould, leading Hutchins to conclude
"he may be one of those people who sprinkles stuff in his skates."
And, for MacCannell, whose regular research includes examining stool samples,
the results were not as bad as the smell suggested. "There is nothing
dangerous in the worst-smelling hockey bag," he said, with a hint of
surprise in his voice. "The bugs weren't that gross but the bag was
vile." He said, however, that the smell was among the worst he's
experienced. "It's up there," MacCannell said. "It's climbing the
charts, definitely in the top 10. It came off the bag in a wave."
Bacteria found in lab analysis of the hockey bag of a 20-year-old male
- Staphylococcus epidermidis a common member of the normal florae of skin and mucous membranes. It is one of the most commonly isolated organisms in the clinical laboratory. While, at one time, its appearance was dismissed as contamination, it is now one of the most important agents of hospital acquired infections. Found staphylococcus epidermidis on gloves, elbow pads, chest protector and elbow pad.
- Staphylococcus aureus a bacteria commonly found on the skin and in the nose of healthy people. Sometimes it can get into the body and cause an infection, which can lead to pimples, boils and other skin conditions. The infection can become more serious in such conditions as blood infection and pneumonia. Found on the helmet.
- Streptococcus viridans an organism normally found in the mouth. Found on the shin pads and the elbow pad.
- Streptococcus faecalis also known as enterococcus, the bacteria is often found in the intestinal flora. It is usually associated with stool or feral samples. Found in normal amounts on the cup. The lab also found traces of Enterics,a harmless, or even beneficial, bacteria found in fecal organisms.
- Environmental bacteria picked up from the environment, such as those found on water fountains, etc.
- Yeast found on skin surfaces and in the inestinal tracts.