Antibodies to Chlamydia pneumoniae in Young Swedish Orienteers

• Published in: Scandinavian journal of infectious diseases 2001, Vol.33 (8), p.589-592
• Main Author: Eva Hjelm, Lars Wesslén, Håkan Gnarpe, Judy Gnarpe, Christina Nyström-Rosander, Christer Rolf, Göran Friman
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Antibodies, Bacterial - blood; Bacterial diseases; Bacterial endocarditis, myocarditis and pericarditis. Bacterial diseases of the aorta, limb vessels and lymphatic vessels; Biological and medical sciences; Cardiomyopathies - complications; Cardiomyopathies - microbiology; Chlamydia pneumoniae; Chlamydophila Infections - complications; Chlamydophila Infections - epidemiology; Chlamydophila Infections - immunology; Chlamydophila pneumoniae - immunology; Death, Sudden, Cardiac - epidemiology; Death, Sudden, Cardiac - etiology; Female; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical sciences; MEDICIN; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; MEDICINE; Prevalence; Sports; Sweden - epidemiology
• ISSN: 0036-5548; 1651-1980; 1651-1980
• DOI: 10.1080/00365540110026674

During 1992-93 sera from 1790 Swedish elite orienteers were tested for antibodies to Chlamydia pneumoniae. The reason for this was that a cluster of 16 cases of sudden unexpected cardiac death had occurred among Swedish orienteers and DNA from C. pneumoniae had been found in the myocarditic heart and in the lung in 1 of 2 deceased athletes in whom testing was feasible; in addition, C. pneumoniae IgG was found in all 5 cases where serum was available. Among the orienteers, the prevalence rates of IgG antibodies in males and females were 54% (n = 1194) and 50% (n =596), respectively. The corresponding figures for 319 male and female blood donors were 60% (n = 169) and 53% (n =150), respectively. These differences are not statistically significant. Male orienteers had a lower prevalence of IgA antibodies than male blood donors (19% and 26%, respectively; p < 0.05), while no such difference was found in females (16% and 18%). The prevalence of IgM antibodies was < 1% in all groups. Neither the performance level of the orienteers nor the place of residence affected the antibody prevalence. In conclusion, Swedish orienteers do not show a higher prevalence of antibodies to C. pneumoniae than healthy blood donors.