Farmingdale State College student has MRSA

A commuter student at Farmingdale State College has been diagnosed with the bacterial infection known as MRSA, prompting a campus alert and the cleaning of classrooms and athletic facilities, college officials announced Thursday.

The case is the second reported on a Long Island college campus in as many days as the 2013-14 academic year begins.

"There is no evidence that the student contracted MRSA from any location of the campus, but with the safety and health of our students, faculty, and staff uppermost in our minds, we are taking all possible precautions," president Hubert Keen said in an email statement sent to the campus community late Thursday afternoon.

MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphyloccocus aureus, is a staph infection that is resistant to some common antibiotics. A community-based MRSA infection begins on the skin and can be dangerous and potentially deadly if it enters the blood stream. Public health officials advise good hygiene and avoidance of sharing personal items, such as towels and razors, to prevent spread of the bacteria.

Farmingdale officials declined to identify the student by gender or say whether the student was an athlete. The student is at home recovering. "I am happy to report that the student is doing well," Keen said.

The diagnosis was made by the student's family physician.

College officials reported the case to the Suffolk County Department of Health even though they were not required to do so, said Grace Kelly-McGovern, spokeswoman for the health department. Nonhospital institutions such as schools are required to report two or more cases of MRSA.

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A student athlete at LIU Post in Brookville was being treated for the bacterial infection, the medical director of that university said Wednesday.

As of late Thursday afternoon, there were no other suspected cases of MRSA at LIU Post, said Rita Langdon, spokeswoman for LIU Post.