EPA & CDC, August 5, 2016

"Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has caused outbreaks among athletic teams and artificial turf has been implicated as a fomite in transmission of MRSA among college athletes."

Cincinnati Enquirer, May 20, 2015

The lawsuit filed in Campbell County Circuit Court claims the cut Brycen McWilliams sustained became infected with a virulent strain of the staph bacteria from the artificial turf on the field. McWilliams, a junior running back from Somerset High School in south central Kentucky, spent weeks in the hospital and missed part of the spring semester as the infection festered, his attorney Tad Thomas said. The infection was Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which doesn't respond to antibiotics.

Clinical Infectious Diseases, Oxford University Press, November 15, 2004

"MRSA was likely spread predominantly during practice play, with skin breaks facilitating infection. Measures to minimize skin breaks among athletes should be considered, including prevention of turf burns and education regarding the risks of cosmetic body shaving."

Science Daily, November 9, 2004

"Researchers found that 10 percent of players on a Connecticut college football team had MRSA skin infections, for which two were hospitalized.

Those who sustained turf burns during play were seven times more likely than their teammates to contract MRSA."