Contagious diseases in competitive sport: what are the risks?

AMSSM Position Statement Update: Blood-Borne Pathogens in the Context of Sports Participation

This AMSSM position statement update is directed toward health care providers of patients involved in sport and exercise. There have been significant advances in clinical and scientific research in the understanding of blood-borne pathogens (BBPs), and this update incorporates these advancements. This document is intended as a general guide to clinical practice based on the current state of evidence, while acknowledging the need for modification as new knowledge becomes available. Confirmed transmission of BBPs during sport is exceedingly rare. There are no well-documented reports of HIV, hepatitis C virus, or hepatitis D virus transmission during sport. There is also no evidence for universal testing for BBPs as a specific requirement for participation in sports. Competitive athletes and nonathletes should follow appropriate general public health agency recommendations for screening for BBPs, considering their individual risk factors and exposures. Standard (universal) precautions must be followed by those providing care to athletes. Exercise and athletic participation can help promote a healthy lifestyle for persons living with BBPs. Those with acute symptomatic BBP infection should limit exercise intensity based on their current health status. Education is the key tool for preventing BBP transmission. Research gaps include evaluation of the prevalence of BBP infections in competitive athletes, the effects of long-term, intense training on infected athletes, and the effects of BBP treatment therapies on performance.

AMSSM position statement update: blood-borne pathogens in the context of sports participation

This American Medical Society for Sports Medicine position statement update is directed towards healthcare providers of patients involved in sport and exercise. There have been significant advances in clinical and scientific research in the understanding of blood-borne pathogens (BBPs), and this update incorporates these advancements. This document is intended as a general guide to clinical practice based on the current state of the evidence, while acknowledging the need for modification as new knowledge becomes available. Confirmed transmission of BBPs during sport is exceedingly rare. There are no well-documented reports of HIV, HCV or HDV transmission during sport. There is also no evidence for universal testing for BBPs as a specific requirement for participation in sports. Competitive athletes and non-athletes should follow appropriate general public health agency recommendations for screening for BBPs, considering their individual risk factors and exposures. Standard (universal) precautions must be followed by those providing care to athletes. Exercise and athletic participation can help promote a healthy lifestyle for persons living with BBPs. Those with acute symptomatic BBP infection should limit exercise intensity based on their current health status. Education is the key tool for preventing BBP transmission. Research gaps include evaluation of the prevalence of BBP infections in competitive athletes, the effects of long-term, intense training on infected athletes and the effects of BBP treatment therapies on performance.

Fungal Infections From Human and Animal Contact

Fungal infections in humans resulting from human or animal contact are relatively uncommon, but they include a significant proportion of dermatophyte infections. Some of the most commonly encountered diseases of the integument are dermatomycoses. Human or animal contact may be the source of all types of tinea infections, occasional candidal infections, and some other types of superficial or deep fungal infections. This narrative review focuses on the epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis and treatment of anthropophilic dermatophyte infections primarily found in North America. Other human-acquired and zoonotic fungal infections also are discussed in brief.

Sports behaviour among HIV-infected versus non-infected individuals in a Berlin cohort

Physical activity has been recommended based on beneficial effects described in HIV-infected patients. However, such guidelines do not take into account actual sport behaviours and general attitudes towards physical activity. To evaluate actual sport activity and attitudes towards sport in HIV-infected versus non-infected individuals we conducted an anonymous questionnaire investigating the prevalence, as well as possible changes, in sports engagement and the overall attitude to physical activity. A total of 283 patients of a general care facility specialized in the treatment of HIV/AIDS in Berlin, Germany, participated; 124 were HIV infected and 159 were non-infected, mostly men who have sex with men (MSM) (88%), with a median age of 35 years. The HIV-infected participants had a median CD4+ count of 554 cells/µL and 48.8% of them were using antiretroviral therapy (ART) at the time of survey. The proportion of patients actually performing physical activity was significantly lower (P = 0.028) within the HIV-infected group (61.3%) than within the non-infected group (74.2%). This difference remained significant after accounting for possible confounders such as age, gender, injecting drug use and sexual preferences. Previously reported sport activity prevalence was similar in both groups on leaving school. From our data we could not identify an association between the time of HIV diagnosis and changes in sports activity. In conclusion, fewer HIV-infected individuals report physical activity than non-infected individuals. Sociodemographic studies to evaluate potential differences in sports behaviour are required in order to inform exercise guidelines for HIV-infected patients.

Practical management: community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA): the latest sports epidemic

Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) has gained international recognition as a superbug that causes serious infectious outbreaks in high-risk populations such as athletes. Clusters of cases in various athletic teams, particularly contact sports, have been reported since 1993 in the United States and more recently in Canada. CA-MRSA infections are not limited to North America, and all athletes are considered high risk. Skin-to-skin contact appears to be the primary mode of transmission. While typical infections are local skin and soft-tissue abscesses, CA-MRSA infections can spread systemically and lead to significant morbidity and mortality if not promptly identified and treated. The gold standard of treatment for all abscesses is incision and drainage with wound culture for bacterial identification and antibiotic sensitivity testing. A limited number of antibiotics are currently useful in the treatment of CA-MRSA and are reviewed. Geographical variation in patterns of antibiotic resistance further complicates the treatment. Meticulous, consistent use of infection prevention strategies is critical to control outbreaks in the athletic population. Good hygiene, prompt identification of infection, limited exposure to infected persons and contaminated objects, and proper treatment combined with close follow-up of infected athletes will help contain CA-MRSA outbreaks. Future research is needed to explore person-to-person and fomite transmission risks, to define the significance of nasal carriage and skin colonization in relation to CA-MRSA infections, and to further investigate antibiotic resistance patterns. Universal education is needed for all athletes and personnel who provide care in the athletic setting to help control this widespread epidemic.

A clone of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among professional football players

BACKGROUND

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an emerging cause of infections outside of health care settings. We investigated an outbreak of abscesses due to MRSA among members of a professional football team and examined the transmission and microbiologic characteristics of the outbreak strain.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study and nasal-swab survey of 84 St. Louis Rams football players and staff members. S. aureus recovered from wound, nasal, and environmental cultures was analyzed by means of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and typing for resistance and toxin genes. MRSA from the team was compared with other community isolates and hospital isolates.

RESULTS

During the 2003 football season, eight MRSA infections occurred among 5 of the 58 Rams players (9 percent); all of the infections developed at turf-abrasion sites. MRSA infection was significantly associated with the lineman or linebacker position and a higher body-mass index. No MRSA was found in nasal or environmental samples; however, methicillin-susceptible S. aureus was recovered from whirlpools and taping gel and from 35 of the 84 nasal swabs from players and staff members (42 percent). MRSA from a competing football team and from other community clusters and sporadic cases had PFGE patterns that were indistinguishable from those of the Rams' MRSA; all carried the gene for Panton-Valentine leukocidin and the gene complex for staphylococcal-cassette-chromosome mec type IVa resistance (clone USA300-0114).

CONCLUSIONS

We describe a highly conserved, community-associated MRSA clone that caused abscesses among professional football players and that was indistinguishable from isolates from various other regions of the United States.

[Liver and sports]

Physical exercise does not have harmful effects on liver, yet it can be an occasional cause of heat stroke in long-distance runners if they do not drink enough. Practicing sports does not have harmful liver effects as long as some risk behaviors are avoided such as consumption of anabolizers, sharing syringes or traveling to hepatitis endemic countries without being vaccinated. In patients with acute or chronic liver diseases, physical activity or practicing sports can be allowed as long as these do not lead to an excessive fatigue.

Preventing infectious disease in sports

Preventing infectious disease in sports is fundamental to maintaining team effectiveness and helping individual athletes avoid the adverse effects of illness. Good general hygiene practices, immunization, efforts to minimize exposure to specific diseases, and certain prophylactic measures are essential. Teammates, coaches, athletic trainers, officials, and healthcare providers should actively participate in these preventive efforts, and community public health resources may be involved when appropriate. In addition to treating individual athletes, the team physician's role is to increase awareness, vigilance, and compliance with procedures to prevent the spread of disease.