Seroprevalence of Leishmania infantum in outdoor workers from southern Italian endemic regions.
Zoonoses Public Health
; 70(5): 459-464, 2023 08.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37060161
ABSTRACT
Visceral leishmaniasis is a zoonotic vector-borne disease caused by Leishmania infantum. The infection often remains asymptomatic, though clinical forms may occur in immunosuppressed individuals. Although data on leishmaniasis in humans are available worldwide, the exposure to L. infantum of workers conducting outdoor activities has been scantly investigated, and it is limited to military personnel operating in endemic regions. This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of L. infantum in different groups of outdoor workers and the occupational risk factors. The cross-sectional study was performed on 229 workers including forestry guards, farmers, veterinarians, geologists and agronomists from three regions of southern Italy (i.e., Apulia, Basilicata and Campania). All serum samples were screened for L. infantum-specific IgG/IgM by using automated indirect chemiluminescent immunoassays. Overall, 5.7% (13/229) of workers was positive to anti-L. infantum antibodies, with the highest seroprevalence in veterinarians (13.6%). An increased occupational health surveillance for L. infantum infection in outdoor workers is essential to better understand the risk of exposure in specific jobs. Furthermore, guidelines and education along with a One Health collaboration among veterinarians, physicians, parasitologists and occupational health care professionals are crucial for the prevention of this disease.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Leishmania infantum
/
Dog Diseases
/
Leishmaniasis, Visceral
Type of study:
Guideline
/
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Animals
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
Zoonoses Public Health
Journal subject:
MEDICINA VETERINARIA
/
SAUDE PUBLICA
Year:
2023
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Italy