An Albany company has developed an over-the-counter wound care treatment it believes will greatly reduce the incidence of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureas, a "superbug" that is spreading rapidly across the country, especially among amateur and professional sports teams.

Tec Laboratories recently introduced StaphAseptic First Aid Bactericide Gel. The company says it prevents MRSA infections by killing 99.9 percent of the bacteria that cause them.

Cuts and scrapes are common areas where staph can enter the body. StaphAseptic is applied to minor wounds as a shield and to kill harmful bacteria.

"About 10 years ago, my brother, our vice president of operations, got a staph infection after he nicked himself shaving," explained Steve Smith, president and chief executive officer of Tec Labs. "That incident was the catalyst for developing StaphAseptic."

Staph usually infects tissues through cuts or rashes.

Infections can remain minor or lead to abscesses, pneumonia and even bloodstream infections. Staph is considered one of the leading causes of skin infection in the U.S.

Tec Labs, which is consistently ranked among the state's best companies to work for, has produced over-the-counter topical pharmaceuticals since 1977, including Tecnu and Tecnu Extreme for the treatment of poison oak and poison ivy.

Recent outbreaks of MRSA hastened the company's development of a treatment.

Tec Laboratories employee Mike Burner is an assistant wrestling coach at West Albany High School, and he has seen the increase in staph infections.

"Staph's a big problem - not just at West Albany, but everywhere. If just two teams are wrestling, someone on those teams probably has staph," he said. "Staph has grown resistant to antibiotics. It's not just a problem for wrestlers, it's also showing up around the country among football teams and in other sports such as ultimate fighting."

Dr. Dave Bearden is a clinical associate professor at Oregon State University who specializes in infectious diseases.

"Since 2000 we have increasingly seen MRSA as a growing cause of infection outside of the hospital," Bearden said. "Recent reports suggest that nearly 60 percent of pus-forming skin infections in emergency rooms across the country are caused by MRSA. Limiting the spread of the organism in schools and sports will continue to be a major problem."

Dr. Peter Coelho, a physician who works with athletes in California, is also worried about MRSA.

"This bug scares the daylights out of me. It's a ticking time bomb in high school sports, especially football and wrestling," Coelho said.

Larry Burris, Tec Laboratories' national sales manager, said StaphAseptic has had the most successful launch in the company's history, an indicator of how widespread the problem is.

"Stores are saying they want it right now. They are immediately putting it on their shelves," Burris said. Oregon-based stores such as Bi-Mart, Rite Aid and Fred Meyer have been especially helpful. This may be the most important product we have ever developed."

Poison ivy and poison oak are irritating, but staphylococcus spreads rapidly and can have serious medical consequences.

To help schools combat the spread of MRSA, Tec Laboratories has developed a free educational kit. It can be obtained by calling (800) 482-4464 and pushing 0. The kit contains educational pamphlets, suggestions for an MRSA prevention program and free sample packets of StaphAseptic.

General MRSA information is also available at www.StaphAseptic.com and www.cdc.gov.

PREVENTING STAPH

- Treat and cover wounds

- Don't share personal items such as towels

- Shower after physical activity

- Properly clean gear

- Keep hands clean

- Consult your trainer or physician for all active wounds