Two First-Year Rowers Get Blood Infection

A first-year heavyweight rower was treated for blood poisoning at University Health Services (UHS) on Sunday night.

He was the second crew team member since September to contract blood poisoning.

Jeff T. Castellano '00 said he developed open and bleeding blisters on his hands during crew practice Saturday.

The sores came into contact with water from the heavily polluted Charles, which was declared 200 times too dirty for boating by the Environmental Protection Agency in September.

The following day, Castellano noticed red streaks, the signs of a spreading infection, running the length of his arm. He said he was diagnosed at UHS with a staph infection in his blood, and was successfully treated with an intravenous antibiotic and then released.

"Blood poisoning is a significant systemic infection, which, as it progresses, can spread to other body organs," said Donna Campbell, UHS ambulatory nursing coordinator. "It's a very significant illness, and it's nothing we see very often."

Castellano said that he was aware that blood poisoning is potentially fatal if it goes untreated, adding that crew coaches had often emphasized the need to keep open blisters clean, and that the river water could have contributed to the infection.

"Coach tells us to keep our blisters clean, but there's not much you can do when you're out there in practice and getting splashed all the time," he said. "I've seen raw sewage bubbling up in that river. It's pretty disgusting."

First-year men's heavyweight coach Ed Kloman said he was not worried by Castellano's short illness and downplayed the danger posed by pollution in the Charles.

"It's no big deal," Kloman said. "We tell them that when you get blisters, make sure and clean them up. I think if you talk to him, you'll find out he didn't pay attention to that."

Following the Tour de Charles--a 30-kilometer straight row in early November--heavyweight John A. DeHoff'00 was diagnosed with blood poisoning. His sores also were exposed to river water.

DeHoff said yesterday that he had also sought treatment at UHS, and felt cured within two days.

"It's something that occasionally happens," he said. "A lot of people row on the Charles, and this doesn't happen often. Also, if we don't row on the Charles, where else are we going to row?"

DeHoff's mother, Bonnie K. DeHoff, of Menomonie, Wis., said in a phone interview that she had been "very pleased" with her son's treatment by crew coaches and UHS. She said she was not overly-concerned about the danger of another infection.

"It seemed like the Health Services took care of things right away, and the coach showed a lot of concern," she said. "As a mother, you're always concerned, but I'm not more concerned about this than about anything else."

First-year heavyweight Jacob F. Lentz '00, who said he had experienced intense stinging after getting river water in his eyes, said crew team members were aware of the pollution.

"I suppose if you wanted to make a big issue out of it, you could," Lentz said. "But I don't think anyone worries about it."

Castellano said he could begin practicing again as early as tomorrow, and was unconcerned about the possibility of another infection.

"At least I know what to look for now," he said. "It's one of those risks you have to take, I mean, there are a million ways to die.

"It seemed like the Health Services took care of things right away, and the coach showed a lot of concern," she said. "As a mother, you're always concerned, but I'm not more concerned about this than about anything else."

First-year heavyweight Jacob F. Lentz '00, who said he had experienced intense stinging after getting river water in his eyes, said crew team members were aware of the pollution.

"I suppose if you wanted to make a big issue out of it, you could," Lentz said. "But I don't think anyone worries about it."

Castellano said he could begin practicing again as early as tomorrow, and was unconcerned about the possibility of another infection.

"At least I know what to look for now," he said. "It's one of those risks you have to take, I mean, there are a million ways to die.