Scientists have described the types of illness suffered by people who sought medical care during the latest soccer world cup in Qatar.
Researchers retrieved stool testing data from attendees of the 2022 FIFA World Cup as well as long-term residents and Qatari nationals.
Qatar hosted the FIFA World Cup from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18, 2022. During this period, 1.4 million visitors arrived in the country. Scientists used stool testing data from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022, that covered people who went to any health care facility with gastrointestinal illness.
Among 2,179 samples tested, one or more organisms were identified in 424 cases. The most frequent bacteria detected were Salmonella and E. coli.
Transmission pathways
According to the study published in IJID Regions, an official journal of the International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID), the most common reasons for testing were acute diarrhea/gastroenteritis, abdominal pain, screening/surveillance of contacts, and fever.
Researchers did not investigate the routes of infection acquisition so it is unclear whether positive findings are because of eating behaviors or direct or indirect physical contact.
In a separate commentary on the study, two other researchers said the work lacks an in-depth analysis of food safety measures implemented during the event.
“Given the high volume of international attendees consuming food from various sources, including vendors and official catering services, a detailed assessment of food hygiene standards and possible contamination points should have been included,” they said.
The main study was conducted at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) in Qatar, which was the national reference laboratory for microbiology testing.
HMC had rapid medical evaluation units at the eight stadiums where matches were held. Additional units were set up at multiple fan zones, which were publicly accessible areas hosting activities throughout the tournament.
Main agents detected
Median age of tested individuals was 31 with a range of 5 to 45 years old, 59 percent were males, and 1,616 were non-Qatari nationals. Three-quarters of the people who underwent stool testing were not from Qatar.
A total of 424 samples tested positive for at least one organism by culture or PCR, with at least one bacterium identified in 393, virus in 33, and parasite in 12 of the individuals.
Of the 463 bacterial isolates, the most common organisms included Salmonella, E. coli, Shigella, and Campylobacter. Salmonella was found 185 times, E. coli 119 times, and Shigella on 41 occasions.
Among the viruses detected, the most common were norovirus 13 times, Sapovirus eight times and Astrovirus seven times. Of the 12 parasites found, seven were Cryptosporidium and five were Giardia. Norovirus-associated acute gastroenteritis is often self-limited, which may have led people to not seek medical care, said scientists.
“In summary, the number of individuals who sought care and underwent stool testing during FIFA 2022 was low. During the entire event, a total of 2,179 individuals underwent stool testing of the 1.4 million visitors who entered Qatar during that period. It is possible that some individuals with mild or moderate symptoms may not have sought care and recovered without any formal medical intervention. It is also possible that stool testing was not ordered for some individuals who presented with gastrointestinal symptoms. Bacteria were more frequently isolated than viruses,” said researchers.
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