Rapid Tests for Viral Upper Airway Respiratory Infections in the Workplace: A Pilot Study on a Professional Football Team
<i>Background and Objectives:</i> Acute infections among elite athletes are predominantly attributed to upper respiratory tract pathogens. From a practical standpoint, medical personnel responsible for the healthcare of professional football players should be aware of this and develop in...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Medicina |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/61/6/1072 |
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| author | Dimitrios Papagiannis George D. Vavougios Kyriakos Yiangou Evangelos Latzourakis Foteini Malli Konstantinos I. Gourgoulianis Georgios M. Hadjigeorgiou |
| author_facet | Dimitrios Papagiannis George D. Vavougios Kyriakos Yiangou Evangelos Latzourakis Foteini Malli Konstantinos I. Gourgoulianis Georgios M. Hadjigeorgiou |
| author_sort | Dimitrios Papagiannis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Background and Objectives:</i> Acute infections among elite athletes are predominantly attributed to upper respiratory tract pathogens. From a practical standpoint, medical personnel responsible for the healthcare of professional football players should be aware of this and develop infection prevention strategies. This pilot study aimed to investigate the prevalence of respiratory infections in football players using multiplex rapid diagnostic tests targeting four respiratory pathogens. <i>Materials and Methods:</i> The mean age of the participants was 32.76 ± 10.96 years. Among the participants, 32 were professional football players, with a mean age of 26.5 years, SD + 5.3, and 18 were members of staff, with a mean age of 44.3 years, SD + 8.6. In the present study, participants were followed up over a period of 6 months (from October 2024 to March 2025). <i>Results:</i> Among the participants and among a total of 1078 tests, 10 tests were found to be positive. We recorded a proportion of 0.46% for Flu-A, 0.27% for Flu-B, 0.18% for SARS-CoV-2, and 0 positive tests for RSV and adenovirus. There were six days of absence for players and staff and the proportion of total absenteeism was calculated as 3.7%. Univariate analysis revealed no statistically significant difference in infection risk between staff and players (odds ratio: 0.3795; 95% confidence interval: 0.07843–1.735). <i>Conclusions:</i> The multiplex rapid diagnostic test platform has a demonstrated ease of use and appears to be a reliable and safe method for distinguishing contagious symptomatic individuals from non-contagious individuals in occupational settings. Early identification of respiratory infections facilitates improved clinical management, thereby enhancing the quality of care for both athletes and supporting staff. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fa55373c9c544e0f9d585ab0eeaef6cc |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1010-660X 1648-9144 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Medicina |
| spelling | doaj-art-fa55373c9c544e0f9d585ab0eeaef6cc2025-08-20T03:16:34ZengMDPI AGMedicina1010-660X1648-91442025-06-01616107210.3390/medicina61061072Rapid Tests for Viral Upper Airway Respiratory Infections in the Workplace: A Pilot Study on a Professional Football TeamDimitrios Papagiannis0George D. Vavougios1Kyriakos Yiangou2Evangelos Latzourakis3Foteini Malli4Konstantinos I. Gourgoulianis5Georgios M. Hadjigeorgiou6Public Health and Adults Immunization Laboratory, Department of Nursing, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, GreeceDepartment of Neurology, Medical School, University of Cyprus, Nicosia 2029, CyprusPrivate Health Sector Nicosia Cyprus, Nicosia 2042, CyprusDepartment of Health Sciences, University of Nicosia, Nicosia 2417, CyprusDepartment of Nursing, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, GreeceDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, GreeceDepartment of Neurology, Medical School, University of Cyprus, Nicosia 2029, Cyprus<i>Background and Objectives:</i> Acute infections among elite athletes are predominantly attributed to upper respiratory tract pathogens. From a practical standpoint, medical personnel responsible for the healthcare of professional football players should be aware of this and develop infection prevention strategies. This pilot study aimed to investigate the prevalence of respiratory infections in football players using multiplex rapid diagnostic tests targeting four respiratory pathogens. <i>Materials and Methods:</i> The mean age of the participants was 32.76 ± 10.96 years. Among the participants, 32 were professional football players, with a mean age of 26.5 years, SD + 5.3, and 18 were members of staff, with a mean age of 44.3 years, SD + 8.6. In the present study, participants were followed up over a period of 6 months (from October 2024 to March 2025). <i>Results:</i> Among the participants and among a total of 1078 tests, 10 tests were found to be positive. We recorded a proportion of 0.46% for Flu-A, 0.27% for Flu-B, 0.18% for SARS-CoV-2, and 0 positive tests for RSV and adenovirus. There were six days of absence for players and staff and the proportion of total absenteeism was calculated as 3.7%. Univariate analysis revealed no statistically significant difference in infection risk between staff and players (odds ratio: 0.3795; 95% confidence interval: 0.07843–1.735). <i>Conclusions:</i> The multiplex rapid diagnostic test platform has a demonstrated ease of use and appears to be a reliable and safe method for distinguishing contagious symptomatic individuals from non-contagious individuals in occupational settings. Early identification of respiratory infections facilitates improved clinical management, thereby enhancing the quality of care for both athletes and supporting staff.https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/61/6/1072football playersfluRSVadenovirusrespiratory infectionsabsenteeism |
| spellingShingle | Dimitrios Papagiannis George D. Vavougios Kyriakos Yiangou Evangelos Latzourakis Foteini Malli Konstantinos I. Gourgoulianis Georgios M. Hadjigeorgiou Rapid Tests for Viral Upper Airway Respiratory Infections in the Workplace: A Pilot Study on a Professional Football Team Medicina football players flu RSV adenovirus respiratory infections absenteeism |
| title | Rapid Tests for Viral Upper Airway Respiratory Infections in the Workplace: A Pilot Study on a Professional Football Team |
| title_full | Rapid Tests for Viral Upper Airway Respiratory Infections in the Workplace: A Pilot Study on a Professional Football Team |
| title_fullStr | Rapid Tests for Viral Upper Airway Respiratory Infections in the Workplace: A Pilot Study on a Professional Football Team |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rapid Tests for Viral Upper Airway Respiratory Infections in the Workplace: A Pilot Study on a Professional Football Team |
| title_short | Rapid Tests for Viral Upper Airway Respiratory Infections in the Workplace: A Pilot Study on a Professional Football Team |
| title_sort | rapid tests for viral upper airway respiratory infections in the workplace a pilot study on a professional football team |
| topic | football players flu RSV adenovirus respiratory infections absenteeism |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/61/6/1072 |
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