Stool Microbiome, Pathogens, and Infectious Agents Among Olympic and Elite Athletes

Olympic athletes, non-Olympic elite athletes, and other active adults may have genetic and metabolic profiles that are unique. These profiles may contribute to the caliber of their athletic performance, and they may provide keys to understanding select genetic and metabolic conditions.

Therefore, the specific aims of this project are as follows:

• Specific Aim 1: Characterize the fecal microbial communities in athletes participating in the summer 2016 games and in athletes not participating in the Olympic games
• Specific Aim 2: Characterize the fecal microbiome metabolome (untargeted) in athletes participating in the summer 2016 games and in athletes not participating in the Olympic games
• Specific Aim 3: Characterize selected serum analytes and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of elite athletes participating in the Summer 2016 games and in athletes not participating in the Olympic games, via serum and saliva analyses, respectively
• Specific Aim 4: Retain specimens from Olympic athletes participating in the summer 2016 games and in athletes not participating in the Olympic games for future research
• Specific Aim 7: Examine for the presence of Zika virus RNA in study participants who exhibit symptoms

Stool, urine, and blood specimens will be collected to study the stool metabolome, as well as serum analytes and single nucleotide polymorphisms, and the nature and extent of exposure to pathogens and infectious agents. These will be compared between Olympic athletes and other non-Olympic elite athletes.

Inclusion criteria

• Member of the Summer 2016 U.S. Olympic team and/or other elite athlete
• English speaking
• Willing to provide informed consent and biospecimens
• Willing to complete questionnaires regarding normal bowel habits and general health

Exclusion criteria

• None