Point-of-care testing to detect respiratory infections in athletes : what is the role?

Abstract

Acute respiratory illness (ARI) is the most common reason athletes seek acute medical care and represents a significant challenge to the sport and exercise medicine (SEM) clinician working ‘in the field’. Faced with this issue, there is a need to determine if symptoms are caused by an acute respiratory infection (ARInf), establish if a specific antimicrobial treatment is indicated, evaluate the risk of transmission and provide appropriate advice regarding the safety of ongoing sports participation.