Abstract des Autors

Infectious diseases in athletes represent a problem of relevance. They could be related to a certain level of immunological impairment due to physical and psychological stress or, and mostly, to greater risks of exposure to many infectious agents. From an epidemiological point of view, infectious diseases could be divided according to the route of transmission. Infections that could be acquired by man-to-man contact are, for example, impetigo, erysipelas, herpes simplex, acute viral hepatitis B and C, HIV infection and several respiratory infections. Infections that could be acquired in the environment are: dermatomycosis, e.g. tinea pedis (athlete foot), tinea cruris, legionellosis, tetanus, leptospirosis, schistosomiasis, etc. The risk of acquiring typical infections like malaria, cholera, thyphoid and traveller's diarrhoea is increased due to the more frequent travels to areas of Africa, South and Central America and Asia of an ever increasing number of athletes. For some viral infections, immunization is available and feasible, for example in the case of influenza, viral hepatitis B and more recently A; for other, like HIV and herpes simplex infections, immunization is under study. Hepatitis B immunization is achieved by specific immunoglobulins administered i.m. at the dose of 0.06 ml/kg to be repeated after 30 days, followed by vaccination. In Italy, B vaccination is compulsory since 1992 in newborns and in children of 12 years age. Hepatitis C immunization is achieved by standard immunoglobulins (0.02-0.06 ml/kg i.m. to be repeated after 4 weeks); specific vaccine isn't yet available. Hepatitis A vaccines are now commercially available in many countries and soon they will be in Italy; passive immunization is achieved by standard immunoglobulins. In the case af adenoviral infections a live vaccine is available. Influenza immunization is performed by vaccines in which type A and B viruses are included. Influenza vaccines are recommended in those individuals at risk for serious complications of the disease. Usually this is not the case in young and healthy athletes, nevertheless, in order to avoid the disease, such vaccine is also recommended in these individuals. For herpes infections, that are of some importance among athletes (herpes gladiatorum, scrum herpes), effective and safe vaccines are not yet available, although some vaccines, constitued by a HSV2 D glycoprotein and by viral polypeptides are under study. Several vaccines for HIV infection are currently under study, although scientific, biological and ethical problems make such research difficult. Verf.-Referat