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Officials: Another L.I. College Student Diagnosed With MRSA

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Another Long Island college student has been diagnosed with a potentially deadly staff infection. It's the second case reported on a Long Island college campus this week.

A commuter student at Farmingdale State College contracted the bacterial infection Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, better known as MRSA, school officials said.

As a precaution, all classrooms and athletic facilities are undergoing a thorough cleaning, officials said.

Another L.I. College Student Diagnosed With MRSA

The news comes a day after officials at Long Island University said a student athlete at the Brookville campus was treated for MRSA.

Officials said both students are recovering and doing well; it's not known where they contracted the infections, WCBS 880's Mike Xirinachs reported.

According to the Mayo Clinic, MRSA infection is caused by a strain of staph bacteria that's become resistant to the antibiotics commonly used to treat ordinary staph infections. Most MRSA infections occur in people who've been in hospitals or other health care settings, such as nursing homes and dialysis centers.

When it occurs in these settings, it's known as health care-associated MRSA, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Another type of MRSA infection that has occurred among healthy people is community-associated MRSA. This often begins as a painful skin boil and is spread by skin-to-skin contact.

At-risk populations include groups such as high school wrestlers, child care workers and people who live in crowded conditions.

Both health care-associated and community-associated strains of MRSA still respond to certain antibiotics, and in some cases, antibiotics may not be necessary, according to the Mayo Clinic.

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