Association Between Contact Sports and Colonization with Staphylococcus aureus in a Prospective Cohort of Collegiate Athletes

Abstract

Objective Athletes have higher risk of infection with Staphylococcus aureus than the general population. Most studies in athletes have included primarily male contact sports participants and have not assessed S. aureus carriage over time. We aimed to examine the epidemiology and risk factors of S. aureus carriage in a cohort of male and female collegiate athletes. Study Design We conducted a prospective cohort study of 377 varsity collegiate athletes from August 2008 to April 2010. A baseline questionnaire ascertained risk factors for colonization. Nasal and oropharyngeal swabs were obtained at enrollment and monthly thereafter to detect S. aureus colonization. The primary outcome was S. aureus colonization, both with methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant S. aureus, as defined by bacterial culture and molecular confirmation. Secondary outcomes were time to colonization with S. aureus and carriage profile, defined as non-carrier, intermittent carrier or persistent carrier. Results Overall, 224 contact sports and 153 non-contact sports athletes were enrolled. Contact sports athletes had higher risk of carrying S. aureus over time: they had higher odds of being colonized with MRSA (OR, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.13-4.93) and they tended to carry S. aureus for longer periods of time (intermittent carriage OR, 3.60; 95% CI, 2.02-6.40; persistent carriage OR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.21-4.72). Athletes engaged in contacts sports also acquired S. aureus more quickly (HR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.02-2.55). Conclusions S. aureus carriage was common in contact sports athletes, particularly football. These findings suggest that efforts to prevent transmission of S. aureus among athletes should be focused on contact sports teams.

Professional Athletes Are at Higher Risk of Septic Arthritis After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: An Analysis of 4421 Consecutive Patients Including 265 Elite Athletes From the SANTI Study Group

“…10,16 This is further evidenced by the fact that other studies demonstrated that athletes in contact sports become more frequently colonized with S aureus than do participants in noncontact sports. 14,20 Krutsch et al reported additional potential explanations, including differences in colonization of skin bacteria owing to differences in temperature and excretion of sweat depending on participation in different sports. Further study is required to better understand these complex factors.…”

Infection from Outdoor Sporting Events—More Risk than We Think?

“…Although this microbe persists in soil [33], leptospirosis is mainly a concern for events with open water swimming, including triathlons [34, 35], where it is difficult to know whether the mud or water is the source. We note that while Staphylococcus aureus has been documented as a transmission risk in contact sports [36], it does not appear to have been documented in the literature as being a cause of sports-related mud-borne infection outbreaks.…”

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus: Risk for General Infection and Endocarditis Among Athletes

“…This increase is not due to the appearance and development of repeated outbreaks, and only one outbreak or one infected athlete is enough to increase the spread and the percentage of individuals infected, thanks to SA's ability to escape from common antibiotic therapies. Another important study on the appearance and spread of SA was conducted by Jiménez-Truque and co-authors [25]. They subjected 377 athletes to a nasal swab, both at the time of enrolment within the study and every month, in order to monitor the state of health and the presence of SA or the appearance of MRSA.…”