Seroprevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi in Belgian forestry workers and associated risk factors.
Parasit Vectors
; 11(1): 277, 2018 05 02.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-29716647
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
As forest is the preferred environment for ticks, forestry workers are exposed to tick bites and tick-borne diseases. We assessed the seroprevalence of anti-Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) antibodies and investigated, using an integrated landscape approach, the individual and environmental factors associated with the seroprevalence of Bb in Belgian forestry workers, a high-risk group in Belgium.METHODS:
A group of 310 Belgian forest workers was examined to assess the seroprevalence of anti-Borrelia IgG antibodies. Using principal component analysis and binary logistic regression, the joint effects of individual characteristics and environmental characteristics were examined.RESULTS:
Sixty-seven of the 310 workers were seropositive for Lyme disease (LD), leading to a seroprevalence of 21.6%. The seroprevalence was higher among forest workers visiting forests more frequently (P = 0.003) or who reported over 100 tick bites (P-value < 0.001). The intensity of tick bites and the use of protection measures against tick bites have a positive impact on LD seroprevalence while the quantity of shadow from trees at ground level had a negative one.CONCLUSIONS:
This study showed that forest workers are a population at risk for LD and, by extension, at risk for various tick-borne diseases. In addition to the role of the environment, our results also showed the importance of considering exposure when predicting the risk of infection by Bb.Palavras-chave
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Estudos Soroepidemiológicos
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Exposição Ocupacional
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Agricultura Florestal
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Borrelia burgdorferi
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Picadas de Carrapatos
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Anticorpos Antibacterianos
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2018
Tipo de documento:
Article