SARS-CoV-2 serological assay and viral testing: a report of professional football setting

Purpose of the studyPCR is the current standard test for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, due to its limitations, serological testing is considered an alternative method for detecting SARS-CoV-2 exposure. In this study, we measured the level of SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies of male professional football players and compared the results with the standard PCR test to investigate the association between the two tests.Study designParticipants were male professional football players and team officials. Nasopharyngeal swabs and peripheral blood samples were collected for the PCR and serological tests, respectively. Also, previous records of COVID-19 testing and symptoms were gathered. Those with previous positive PCR tests who tested negative for the second time were considered to be recovered patients.ResultsOf the 1243 subjects, 222 (17.9%) were seropositive, while 29 (2.3%) tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 PCR test. Sixty percent of symptomatic cases with a negative PCR were found to be seropositive. The mean level of IgM was significantly higher in PCR-positive and symptomatic subjects, whereas the recovered cases showed significantly higher levels of IgG.ConclusionOur study revealed an inconsistency of results between the two tests; therefore, although application of serological assays alone seems insufficient in diagnosing COVID-19 disease, the findings are beneficial in the comprehension and the management of the disease.

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Quantification of IgG specific antibodies in recovered COVID -19 patients and its association with disease severity

RAS Microbiology and Infectious Diseases ◽

10.51520/2766-838x-14 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Saurabh Srivastava ◽

Shalini Bahadur ◽

Shalini Shukla ◽

Rashmi Upadhyay ◽

Jaganathan Sickan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vaccination Strategy ◽

Public Health Research ◽

Quantitative Assay ◽

Serological Response ◽

Igg Antibodies ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Serological Tests ◽

Entire Cohort ◽

Mild Disease ◽

The Mean

Background: Serological tests for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies can provide valuable information in epidemiologic and public health research. However, the data is limited on serological response post COVID-19 infection. Objective: To investigate the use of ARCHITECT SARS CoV-2 IgG II Quantitative assay to quantify the IgG antibodies in recovered COVID-19 infections. Methods: Abbott SARS-CoV-2 IgG assays were performed using the ARCHITECT Quantitative chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay to detect IgG against SARS-CoV-2 S1 receptor binding domain (RBD) in serum and plasma. Patients having IgG concentrations above ≥50 AU/mL were defined as positive. We analyzed 333 COVID-19 patients who were tested negative by RT-PCR not more than three months after testing positive. Results: The mean age of the population was 34.3 years and 95% were male. About 93% of the patients had mild disease and rest had moderate disease. The mean IgG levels in the entire cohort was 1860.27 AU/mL, the lowest and highest value detected by ARCHITECT SARS CoV-2 IgG II Quantitative Assay (Abbott Laboratories, USA) were 39.8 AU/mL and 43657.4 AU/mL, respectively. While patients with moderate COVID-19 disease had numerically higher IgG levels than patients with mild disease, the difference was not statistically significant (1787.7 AU/mL vs. 2865.39 AU/mL, p=0.21). In 97% of the patients, IgG antibodies could be detected up to 95 days after testing negative on RT-PCR. Conclusion: Patients with moderate COVID-19 disease may develop higher IgG antibodies than in patients with mild disease. Antibodies can be detected in majority of recovered individuals for more than 90 days which may be valuable in developing future vaccination strategy.

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SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence in a Cohort of Asymptomatic, RT-PCR Negative Croatian First League Football Players

10.1101/2020.10.30.20223230 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Adriana Vince ◽

Renata Zadro ◽

Zvonimir Šostar ◽

Sunčanica Ljubin Sternak ◽

Jasmina Vraneš ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Football Players ◽

Professional Football ◽

Igg Antibodies ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Antibody Assay ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Staff Members ◽

Paired Serum ◽

Serology Testing

AbstractBackgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic the Croatian Football Federation has launched a new model of pre-season systematic examination of football players, emphasizing the diagnosis of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection and preventing further spread among the players.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 IgA and IgG antibodies in the cohort of asymptomatic and SARS-CoV-2 PCR negative professional football players in the Croatian First Football League by using a commercial ELISA antibody assay in the paired serum samples taken 2 months apart.MethodsSerology testing was performed from May till July 2020 in a cohort of 305 asymptomatic football players and club staff members. RT-PCR for detection of SARS-CoV-2 from nasopharyngeal swabs was performed on three occasions, and Euroimmun ELISA for detection of IgA and IgG (S1 and NCP) antibodies was tested in paired serum samples in May and July.ResultsAll RT-PCR results were negative. Sixty-one (20%) participants were reactive in one or two classes of antibodies at baseline and/or follow-up serology testing. IgA reactivity was found in 41 (13.4% [95% CI=10.7-17.7]) baseline sera and 42 (13.8% [95% CI=10.3-18.9]) follow-up sera. IgG to S1 protein was found in 6 (2% [95% CI=0.9-4.2]) participants at baseline and 1 (0.33% [95% CI=0.0006-1.83]) at follow-up. IgG to NCP was found in 2 (0.7% [95% CI=0.2-2.4]) participants at baseline and 8 (2.6% (95% CI=1.3-5.1]) participants at follow-up. Noticeable dynamics in the paired sera was observed in 18 (5.9%) participants (excluding borderline IgA results) or 32 (10.5%) (including IgA borderline results).ConclusionVarious patterns of IgA and IgG reactivity were found in the paired serum samples. Based on serology dynamics we estimate that in 5.9%-10.5% of PCR negative football players asymptomatic exposure to SARS-CoV-2 during pandemics could not be excluded.

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Return to play after surgery for isolated unstable syndesmotic ankle injuries (West Point grade IIB and III) in 110 male professional football players: a retrospective cohort study

British Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1136/bjsports-2018-100298 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 54 (19) ◽

pp. 1168-1173 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Pieter D'Hooghe ◽

Alberto Grassi ◽

Khalid Alkhelaifi ◽

James Calder ◽

Thomas PA Baltes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Team Training ◽

Return To Play ◽

West Point ◽

Football Players ◽

Professional Football ◽

Match Play ◽

Rehabilitation Team ◽

The Mean ◽

Time Required ◽

Mean Time

ObjectivesTo evaluate time to return to play following surgical stabilisation of isolated unstable syndesmosis injuries in a cohort of professional male football players.MethodsAll professional football players undergoing surgery for isolated unstable syndesmosis injury (West Point grade ≥IIB) at a specialised Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital were followed up until return to play (minimum ≥6 months). Players with a stable syndesmosis, injuries older than 6 weeks, concomitant medial or lateral malleolar fracture or previous ankle surgery were excluded. During rehabilitation, time required to return to sports-specific rehabilitation, team training and first match play, were recorded.ResultsBetween January 2012 and December 2017, a total of 110 male professional football players were included. The mean time required to begin on field rehabilitation was 37±12 days, while the mean time to return to team training was 72±28 days. The first official match was played on average 103±28 days postoperatively. Multivariable analysis revealed that the severity of injury, the concomitant presence of talar cartilage injury and the age of the player were significantly associated (p<0.00001) with time to return to on field rehabilitation, team training and match play.ConclusionIn this cohort of professional football players, surgical stabilisation of isolated unstable syndesmosis injuries (West Point grade ≥IIB) allowed for relatively quick return to play. High grade injury (West Point grade III), concomitant cartilage injury and greater age were associated with longer return to play times.Level of evidenceLongitudinal observational cohort study (level II).

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Platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of acute hamstring injuries in professional football players

Joints ◽

10.11138/jts/2016.4.1.017 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 04 (01) ◽

pp. 017-023 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Giacomo Zanon ◽

Franco Combi ◽

Alberto Combi ◽

Loris Perticarini ◽

Luigi Sammarchi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sport Participation ◽

Healing Process ◽

Injury Rate ◽

Football Players ◽

Professional Football ◽

Muscle Injuries ◽

Repair Tissue ◽

Hamstring Injuries ◽

Tissue Healing ◽

The Mean

Purpose: muscle injuries have a high incidence in professional football and are responsible for the largest number of days lost from competition. Several in vitro studies have confirmed the positive role of plateletrich plasma (PRP) in accelerating recovery and in promoting muscle regeneration, and not fibrosis, in the healing process. This study examines the results of intralesional administration of PRP in the treatment of primary hamstring injuries sustained by players belonging to a major league football club. Methods: twenty-five hamstring injuries (grade 2 according to MRI classification) sustained by professional football players during a 31-months observation period were treated with PRP and analyzed. sport participation absence (SPA), in days, was considered to correspond to the healing time, and we also considered the re-injury rate, and tissue healing on MRI. The mean follow-up was 36.6 months (range 22-42). Results: there were no adverse events. The mean SPA for the treated muscle injuries was 36.76±19.02 days. The re-injury rate was 12%. Tissue healing, evaluated on MRI, was characterized by the presence of excellent repair tissue and a small scar. Conclusions: this study confirmed the safety of PRP in treating hamstring lesions in a large series of professional football players. PRP-treated lesions did not heal more quickly than untreated lesions described in the literature, but they showed a smaller scar and excellent repair tissue. Level of evidence: Level IV, therapeutic case series.

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Post-match recovery of eccentric knee flexor strength in male professional football players

Physical Therapy in Sport ◽

10.1016/j.ptsp.2020.11.032 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 47 ◽

pp. 140-146

Author(s):

César Augusto Bueno ◽

João Breno de Araujo Ribeiro-Alvares ◽

Gabriel dos Santos Oliveira ◽

Rafael Grazioli ◽

Filipe Veeck ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Football Players ◽

Professional Football ◽

Knee Flexor ◽

Flexor Strength

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Lunate and Perilunate Dislocations in Professional Football Players

The American Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/036354659402200617 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 22 (6) ◽

pp. 841-845 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

David J. Raab ◽

David A. Fischer ◽

Donald C. Quick

Keyword(s):

Football Players ◽

Professional Football

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Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Prevention Exercises: Could a Neuromuscular Warm-Up Improve Muscle Pre-Activation before a Soccer Game? A Proof-of-Principle Study on Professional Football Players

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11114958 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 4958

Author(s):

Alessandro de Sire ◽

Andrea Demeco ◽

Nicola Marotta ◽

Lucrezia Moggio ◽

Arrigo Palumbo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Acl Injury ◽

Football Players ◽

Professional Football ◽

Activation Time ◽

Exercise Protocol ◽

Warm Up ◽

Anterior Cruciate ◽

Proof Of Principle

Neuromuscular warm-up has been shown to decrease the risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury improving muscular firing patterns. All preventive training programs described in the literature have a duration of several weeks. To date, no studies have explored the immediate effect of a neuromuscular warm-up exercise on pre-activation time of the knee stabilizer muscles. Thus, this proof-of-principle study aimed at evaluating the acute effects of a neuromuscular warm-up exercises on the electromyographic activation of knee stabilizer muscles’ activation pattern. We included 11 professional football players, mean aged 23.2 ± 4.5 years, from a Southern Italy football team. All of them underwent a standard warm-up exercise protocol at the first day of the evaluation. At 1 week, they underwent a structured neuromuscular warm-up exercise protocol. We assessed as outcome measure the pre-activation time (ms) of rectus femoris (RF), vastus medialis (VM), biceps femoris (BF), and medial hamstrings (MH) upon landing. Outcomes were assessed before and after the standard warm-up and neuromuscular warm-up. Pre-activation time of RF, VM, BF and MH significantly improved only after neuromuscular warm-up (p < 0.05); moreover, there was a significant (p < 0.05) between-group difference in pre-activation time of all muscles after the neuromuscular warm-up compared with the standard warm-up. These findings suggested that physical exercise consisting of a structured injury prevention neuromuscular warm-up might have an immediate effect in improving the activation time of the knee stabilizer muscles, thus potentially reducing the risk of ACL injury.

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1412. The utility of respiratory viral panel testing for nosocomial fever in the neonatal intensive care unit

Open Forum Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/ofid/ofaa439.1594 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S713-S713

Author(s):

Carlo Fopiano Palacios ◽

Eric Lemmon ◽

James Campbell

Keyword(s):

Intensive Care Unit ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Linear Regression ◽

Length Of Stay ◽

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ◽

Neonatal Intensive Care ◽

P Value ◽

Fisher Exact Test ◽

The Mean ◽

Pcr Test

Abstract Background Patients in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) often develop fevers during their inpatient stay. Many neonates are empirically started on antibiotics due to their fragile clinical status. We sought to evaluate whether the respiratory viral panel (RVP) PCR test is associated with use of antibiotics in patients who develop a fever in the NICU. Methods We conducted a retrospective chart review on patients admitted to the Level 4 NICU of the University of Maryland Medical Center from November 2015 to June 2018. We included all neonates who developed a fever 48 hours into their admission. We collected demographic information and data on length of stay, fever work-up and diagnostics (including labs, cultures, RVP), and antibiotic use. Descriptive statistics, Fisher exact test, linear regression, and Welch’s ANOVA were performed. Results Among 347 fever episodes, the mean age of neonates was 72.8 ± 21.6 days, and 45.2% were female. Out of 30 total RVP samples analyzed, 2 were positive (6.7%). The most common causes of fever were post-procedural (5.7%), pneumonia (4.8%), urinary tract infection (3.5%), meningitis (2.6%), bacteremia (2.3%), or due to a viral infection (2.0%). Antibiotics were started in 208 patients (60%), while 61 neonates (17.6%) were already on antibiotics. The mean length of antibiotics was 7.5 ± 0.5 days. Neonates were more likely to get started on antibiotics if they had a negative RVP compared to those without a negative RVP (89% vs. 11%, p-value < 0.0001). Patients with a positive RVP had a decreased length of stay compared to those without a positive RVP (30.3 ± 8.7 vs. 96.8 ± 71.3, p-value 0.01). On multivariate linear regression, a positive RVP was not associated with length of stay. Conclusion Neonates with a negative respiratory viral PCR test were more likely to be started on antibiotics for fevers. Respiratory viral PCR testing can be used as a tool to promote antibiotic stewardship in the NICU. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

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Resuming professional football (soccer) during the COVID-19 pandemic in a country with high infection rates: a prospective cohort study

British Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1136/bjsports-2020-103724 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. bjsports-2020-103724

Author(s):

Yorck Olaf Schumacher ◽

Montassar Tabben ◽

Khalid Hassoun ◽

Asmaa Al Marwani ◽

Ibrahim Al Hussein ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Prospective Cohort Study ◽

Prospective Cohort ◽

Preventive Measures ◽

Clinical Symptoms ◽

Severe Illness ◽

Football Players ◽

Professional Football ◽

Infection Rates ◽

High Infection

ObjectivesThe risk of viral transmission associated with contact sports such as football (soccer) during the COVID-19 pandemic is unknown. The aim of this study was to describe the infective and immune status of professional football players, team staff and league officials over a truncated football season resumed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in a country with high infection rates and to investigate the clinical symptoms related to COVID-19 infection in professional football players.MethodsProspective cohort study of 1337 football players, staff and officials during a truncated football season (9 weeks) with a tailored infection control programme based on preventive measures and regular SARS-CoV-2 PCR swab testing (every 3–5 days) combined with serology testing for immunity (every 4 weeks). Clinical symptoms in positive participants were recorded using a 26-item, Likert-Scale-based scoring system.ResultsDuring the study period, 85 subjects returned positive (cycle threshold (cT) ≤30) or reactive (30<cT<40) PCR tests, of which 36 were players. The infection rate was consistent with that of the general population during the same time period. More than half of infected subjects were asymptomatic, and the remaining had only mild symptoms with no one requiring hospitalisation. Symptom severity was associated with lower cT values. Social contacts and family were the most common sources of infection, and no infection could be traced to training or matches. Of the 36 infected players, 15 presented positive serology during the study period.ConclusionFootball played outdoors involving close contact between athletes represents a limited risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe illness when preventive measures are in place.

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Injury rates decreased in men’s professional football: an 18-year prospective cohort study of almost 12 000 injuries sustained during 1.8 million hours of play

British Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1136/bjsports-2020-103159 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. bjsports-2020-103159

Author(s):

Jan Ekstrand ◽

Armin Spreco ◽

Håkan Bengtsson ◽

Roald Bahr

Keyword(s):

Ligament Injury ◽

Football Players ◽

Injury Incidence ◽

Professional Football ◽

Muscle Injuries ◽

Time Loss ◽

Match Play ◽

Injury Rates ◽

Surveillance Programme ◽

Individual Player

BackgroundThe UEFA Elite Club Injury Study is the largest and longest running injury surveillance programme in football.ObjectiveTo analyse the 18-season time trends in injury rates among male professional football players.Methods3302 players comprising 49 teams (19 countries) were followed from 2000–2001 through 2018–2019. Team medical staff recorded individual player exposure and time-loss injuries.ResultsA total of 11 820 time-loss injuries were recorded during 1 784 281 hours of exposure. Injury incidence fell gradually during the 18-year study period, 3% per season for both training injuries (95% CI 1% to 4% decrease, p=0.002) and match injuries (95% CI 2% to 3% decrease, p<0.001). Ligament injury incidence decreased 5% per season during training (95% CI 3% to 7% decrease, p<0.001) and 4% per season during match play (95% CI 3% to 6% decrease, p<0.001), while the rate of muscle injuries remained constant. The incidence of reinjuries decreased by 5% per season during both training (95% CI 2% to 8% decrease, p=0.001) and matches (95% CI 3% to 7% decrease, p<0.001). Squad availability increased by 0.7% per season for training sessions (95% CI 0.5% to 0.8% increase, p<0.001) and 0.2% per season for matches (95% CI 0.1% to 0.3% increase, p=0.001).ConclusionsOver 18 years: (1) injury incidence decreased in training and matches, (2) reinjury rates decreased, and (3) player availability for training and match play increased.

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