Serological and Epidemiological Analysis of the Prevalence of Bartonella spp. Antibodies in Swedish Elite Orienteers 1992-93

The emergence of the popular, physically demanding and highly nature-interactive sport of orienteering was marked in Sweden by an elevated rate of sudden unexpected cardiac deaths in young competitors during the years 1979-92, with a common underlying cause or causes suspected. Subsequently, sera we...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scandinavian journal of infectious diseases 2001, Vol.33 (6), p.423-428
Main Author: Svena McGill, Lars Wesslen, Eva Hjelm, Martin Holmberg, Christer Rolf, Göran Friman
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Antibodies, Bacterial - blood
Bacterial diseases
Bartonella - immunology
Bartonella - isolation & purification
Bartonella elizabethae
Bartonella henselae
Bartonella Infections - complications
Bartonella Infections - epidemiology
Bartonella Infections - immunology
Bartonellosis
Biological and medical sciences
Death, Sudden, Cardiac - epidemiology
Death, Sudden, Cardiac - etiology
Female
Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect - methods
Human bacterial diseases
Humans
Immunoglobulin G - blood
Infectious diseases
Male
Medical sciences
Myocarditis - complications
Myocarditis - microbiology
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Sports
Sweden - epidemiology
Tropical bacterial diseases
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Summary:The emergence of the popular, physically demanding and highly nature-interactive sport of orienteering was marked in Sweden by an elevated rate of sudden unexpected cardiac deaths in young competitors during the years 1979-92, with a common underlying cause or causes suspected. Subsequently, sera were collected during 1992-93 from the elite segment of orienteers holding a nationally ranked position, and a survey compiling various epidemiological data was performed. In this study, a total of 1136 sera were analyzed by indirect-fluorescent antibody assay for the presence of IgG antibodies against 3 Bartonella spp.: B. henselae, B. elizabethae and B. quintana. In total, 31% (355/1136) were seropositive for at least 1 species of Bartonella, with titers ranging up to 1/512; 350/1136 (31%) had antibodies against B. elizabethae, 34/1136 (3.0%) against B. henselae and 16/1136 (1.4%) against B. quintana. Males and females showed equal rates of 31% seropositivity to Bartonella spp. (males 241/766; females 114/370). In comparison, 322 time-matched sera from healthy blood donors had antibodies to Bartonella spp. in 6.8% of cases (p < 0.001). The observed high prevalence of Bartonella spp. antibodies found in Swedish elite orienteers may be indicative of a connection with risk factors for the development of myocarditis and sudden unexpected cardiac death
ISSN:0036-5548
1651-1980
1651-1980
DOI:10.1080/00365540152029882