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A Southern Arizona high school wrestling team was exposed to a staph infection earlier this month, prompting area schools to get serious about prevention of the dangerous bacteria.

Officials at Douglas High School banned Bisbee High from this weekend's Douglas Invitational wrestling tournament due to health concerns after one of the Pumas' wrestlers showed symptoms of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a more-dangerous strain of staph that resists common antibiotics.

The Bisbee student was likely infected by a New Mexico wrestler at a meet earlier this month, but has since recovered.

Bisbee athletic director Walter Edge said the team has been cleared by doctors, but was asked not to attend because Douglas feared liability concerns if the infection spread.

"All the doctors and everyone else said we were OK" to compete, Edge said. "But if the shoe was on the other foot, I'd probably do the same thing. If you get it, it's a bad deal."

Staph infections are caused by a Staphylococcus bacteria and may result in lesions and boils.

Some strains can be deadly.

Staph is not a problem in the Tucson Unified School District, officials said, but the fear of outbreaks have prompted schools to take preventative measures, including educating students about how to reduce the risk.

The infections were traditionally rampant in hospitals, prisons and among those living in crowded conditions, but now affect athletes in many sports. Infections are spread by skin-to-skin contact, and enter through open cuts.

"Staph is a skin germ, and think about a wrestler, with all that moisture and all that contact on the mat," said Dr. Michelle McDonald, the Pima County Health Department's chief medical officer.

"Any skin germ is going to take an opening in the skin. If you've got mat rub and things like that, it makes you open to it."

Infection begins on the skin, triggering inflammation, boils or nasty abscesses and if MRSA moves to the bloodstream, it can cause bone infection, toxic shock, pneumonia, organ damage and death.

Earlier this month, an emergency room at Tucson Medical Center reported seeing 541 cases this year, triple the number it saw in 2003.

Sunnyside wrestling coach Bobby DeBerry has become an expert in staph infections since an early season scare put his team on alert.

One of DeBerry's wrestlers showed symptoms of staph in early October. The other Blue Devils wrestlers were examined by doctors, and the team member underwent tests for the bacteria.

The results came back negative, but were enough to make DeBerry aware of the risks. He invited the Pima County Health Department to speak to his school.

The 13-year coach now insists his players tell him if they notice any strange pustules, cuts or sores on their bodies.

"That's how we start every practice — 'Does anybody have anything on them that looks weird?' " DeBerry said. "If it doesn't look right, we send them to a trainer or a doctor to get it taken care of."

Staying clean is the best way to avoid a staph infection. McDonald said soap and hot water usually eliminates most of the bacteria that cause infections.

DeBerry now requires his players to shower both before and after practice.

"The biggest thing you can do is wash your hands and keep yourself clean," he said. "All of us have little buggies on us, but the preventative measures are the best way to go."

Cienega athletic director Keith Scott said all high school athletes are at risk for staph infections. Scott said he warned football players throughout the season to wash their practice gear out of concern the uniforms harbored bacteria. Football players are susceptible to the cuts and scrapes that could lead to infection, he said.

Scott said rocky field conditions have led to plenty of scrapes for Bobcats soccer players. And frequent sliding and diving on dirt can cause cuts exposing baseball and softball players to the bacteria.

Scott said he expects cuts and scrapes to escalate next year, when the school installs artificial turf.

"The kids now are getting really bad turf burns," he said. "Even with natural grass, believe it or not, it's bad. We're getting a lot of that.

"We just tell the kids, 'Wash your clothes, wash your body, take care of your cuts, and you should be OK.' "

● Star reporter Carla McClain contributed to this report.