title: No serological evidence for rickettsial diseases among Danish elite orienteerers.
abstract: A series of sudden unexpected cardiac deaths among Swedish elite orienteerers in the 1980s have resulted from the combination of infectious diseases and physical exercise. Studies in the late 1990s have pointed to Chlamydia and Barontella, which both had a high seroprevalence among Swedish elite orienteerers. We conducted a case-control study aimed to elucidate the serologic prevalence of rickettsial diseases among Danish elite orienteerers. Ticks are known as vectors for some rickettsial diseases. None of the orienteerers had a positive antibody titer against any of the tested Rickettsia despite a very high frequency of tick bites in this group.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Gastrointestinal Infectious, Department of Bacteriology, Mycology and Parasitology, Statens Serum Institut, Artillerivej 5, DK-2300 Copenhagen S., Denmark. pschiellerup@dadlnet.dk
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schiellerup
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dyhr
authors.forename: Jean Marc
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rolain
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.forename: Rasmus
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Damsgaard
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fisker
authors.forename: Niels Frost
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Raoult
authors.forename: Karen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Krogfelt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans; D007299:Insect Bites and Stings / Q000453:epidemiology; D012282:Rickettsia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012288:Rickettsiaceae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012698:Serologic Tests; D013177:Sports / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013987:Ticks