The relationship between health effects in triathletes and microbiological quality of freshwater

Abstract

This pilot study was carried out to determine the relationship between microbiological water quality parameters and the occurrence of health complaints among triathletes. Data were collected at an Olympic distance triathlon (n=314) and a run-bike-run (n=81; controls for exposure to fresh water). At the time of the triathlon, the concentrations of Escherichia coli, thermotolerant coliforms, faecal streptococci, entero- and reoviruses, F-specific RNA phages, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Aeromonas, Plesionsonas shigelloides, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus were examined over the swimming course. Information on the occurrence of health complaints during the competition and in the week thereafter was collected through a written questionnaire.The results show that triathletes and run-bike-runners are comparable with respect to factors other than water exposure (age, sex, training history, physical stress, lower intestinal health complaints during the competition) that may influence the occurrence of health complaints in the week after the competition.Triathletes and run-bike-runners reported gastro-intestinal ( 7.7% vs 2.5% ), respiratory ( 5.5% vs 3.7%), skin/mucosal (2.6% vs 1.2% ), general (3.5% vs 1.2%) and total symptoms ( 14.9% vs 7.4% ) in the week after the event. The health risks for triathletes for all symptom groups are not significantly higher than for run-bike-runners. The geometric mean concentration of faecal indicator bacteria is relatively low: E. coli 170/100 ml; faecal streptococci 13/100 ml, enteroviruses were present at concentrations of 0.1/1. The group of triathletes was homogeneously and relatively intensely exposed to water; they all swam in the same body of water at the same time and 75% reported to have swallowed freshwater.It was concluded that this study design is suitable to study the relationship between health complaints and microbiological water quality. In the summers of 1993 and 1994, a study will be carried out concerning several run-bike-runs and triathlons in freshwaters of different quality.