Research Impact: Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URTI) are among the most common illnesses that are reported in athletes. Contracting an URTI may increase the chance of athletes missing training days, which may lead to performance decrements. The aim of this study was to investigate if there was an association between sIgA and URTI in elite Rugby Union players. The results found that a significant decrease in sIgA increased the likelihood of a player contracting an URTI. Where sIgA decreased by 65% or more a player was at a greater risk of contracting an URTI within the subsequent 2-weeks. These results may provide a coach with an objective monitoring tool to help reduce the risk of a player contracting an URTI, which may lead to missed training days or even competitions.
Tiernan, C., Lyons, M., Comyns, T., Nevill, A.M. and Warrington, G., 2019. Salivary IgA as a Predictor of Upper Respiratory Tract Infections and Relationship to Training Load in Elite Rugby Union Players. Journal of strength and conditioning research. DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003019
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