A Butler Area Midget Football League player has contracted MRSA, a highly contagious staph infection, but the illness has not spread to other players.

"As soon as the player was diagnosed, a letter was sent out to every parent of our players," said league President George "Red"Slater. "We informed them, instructed them about cleaning equipment and taking necessary precautions."

A member of the Penn Street team was diagnosed with MRSAlast week. He has been treated with antibiotics and hasn't been cleared to resume playing or practicing.

A second BAMFLplayer was feared to have contracted the illness, but his disease turned out to be poison ivy.

Symptoms of MRSAinclude redness, warmth and tenderness in the wound, along with a fever and foul-smelling pus around the infected area.

Community-associated MRSA can be passed to other athletes through the sharing of towels, uniforms and equipment. MRSAis a form of staph infection that is resistant to broad-spectrum antibiotics used to treat it.

It is considered particularly harmful to older adults with weakened immune systems or to younger children whose immune systems are not fully developed.

"The child was taken to the hospital, was properly treated and he's doing fine,"Slater said of the infected Penn Street player. "We expect to get him back soon."

Slater said players contracting MRSAare immediately suspended from play and practice until granted medical clearance by a physician.

"You're usually talking about a 72-hour period, depending on severity," he said.

The BAMFLconsists of six varsity and junior varsity middle school-age teams, along with fourth- and fifth-grade teams.

The league has more than 400 players.