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

Competitive sports that involve extensive contact with mud are commonly held events and growing in popularity. However, the natural environment contributes to infection risks, and these events have been implicated in multiple infectious disease outbreaks. Soils and mud contain rich microbial communi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSports medicine - open Vol. 5; no. 1; pp. 37 - 6
Main Authors DeNizio, Jamie E., Hewitt, David A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cham Springer International Publishing 14.08.2019
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Antibiotics
Infections
Leading
Leading Article
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Sports Medicine
Environmentally acquired infections
Triathlons
Mountain- biking
Outdoor sports
Obstacle-course races
Antibiotic resistance
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Summary:Competitive sports that involve extensive contact with mud are commonly held events and growing in popularity. However, the natural environment contributes to infection risks, and these events have been implicated in multiple infectious disease outbreaks. Soils and mud contain rich microbial communities and can include pathogens (including viruses, bacteria, and parasites), thereby offering risk of infection; there is also a risk of disease due to shedding, by participants, of pathogens directly into the environment. These disease risks are ubiquitous and are present in the most developed countries, as well as elsewhere. Prevention of the further spread of mud sport-related infections through secondary infections to non-participant community members is of critical importance. We recommend shifts in practice and policy, such as site condition monitoring, improved messaging with regards to infections risk, and implementation of pre- and post-event wash stations to reduce these risks.
ISSN:2199-1170
2198-9761
DOI:10.1186/s40798-019-0208-x