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By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Oct. 13, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Infectious diseases doctors say they're puzzled by a serious MRSA infection that could cost a professional football player his foot.
The case of New York Giants tight end Daniel Fells is unusual for several reasons, the experts say. First, because infection rates for the so-called "superbug" are falling in the United States. And second, the 6-foot, 4-inch 260-pound Fells is far from the type of patient who's likely to develop a MRSA infection so serious that amputation may be required.
"In a healthy young athlete, to have an amputation from MRSA is extremely unusual," said Dr. Aaron Glatt, a spokesman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
People who typically develop serious MRSA infections are older, frequently hospitalized, or suffering from a chronic disease like diabetes, said Glatt, who's also an infectious diseases specialist at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, N.Y.
Fells, 32, appeared to develop his infection after he received a cortisone shot last month to treat a toe and ankle injury, according to the National Football League.
A week later, on Oct. 2, he appeared in an emergency room with a 104-degree temperature. Doctors determined that he had a MRSA infection in his ankle.
Fells has since undergone five surgeries to fight off the infection, and there's concern that the bacteria might have spread to his bone and bloodstream, prompting the potential need for the foot amputation.
The Giants, meanwhile, have taken the precaution of scrubbing down their locker room, training room and meeting rooms, according to the team.
MRSA, or methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, is a strain of bacteria that has developed a resistance to several common antibiotics.
Typically, MRSA causes a simple skin infection that's easily treated by lancing the abscess or taking alternative antibiotics. But, if it reaches the deep tissue, bone or bloodstream it can cause severe illness, said Dr. Pritish Tosh, an infectious diseases doctor with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
"Very few of these cases turn into these very serious limb- or life-threatening infections," Tosh said. "But when they do, it's very debilitating."