title: [Seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in health personnel in 3 hospitals in Zagreb].
abstract: By this study we wanted to investigate the seroprevalence of H. pylori infection in 175 health care workers of three Zagreb city hospitals. The obtained results were compared with those of 2492 volunteer blood donors. The influence of age, education, socioeconomic status and length of service at specific hospital working places were investigated in relation to the frequency of H. pylori seropositivity. The blood samples were tested by commercial kits of immunoenzyme assay (ELISA) and complement fixation (CF), according to manufacturers instructions. The mean seroprevalence of infection was 58.6% in the group of blood donors and 53.7% in the group of health care workers (NS). Statistically significant difference was found between physicians (29%) and all other health care workers: nurses (58.6%; p < 0.005), laboratory technicians (60.6%; p < 0.005), clerical workers (66.6%; p < 0.005) and auxiliary workers (82.6%; p < 0.001). Concerning the age, the infection seroprevalence was higher in workers aged more than 40 years than in those younger, and that difference was of statistical significance among nurses and laboratory technicians. Physicians under 29 yrs were of the lowest seropositivity (14.8%). Among health care workers with less than 20 working years, physicians expressed the lowest rate of infection (17.9%) in comparison with nurses (48.5%) and laboratory technicians (53.3%). In all health care workers with more than 20 working years there was significant increase of infection prevalence, particularly among nurses. The employees in gastrointestinal endoscopy laboratories were more often serologically positive than medical workers in other medical departments (58.3% versus 35.0%; p < 0.05).
authors.affiliation: Zavod za mikrobiologiju i parasitologiju SNZ A. Stampar Medicinskog fakulteta Sveucilista u Zagrebu.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Presecki
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Katicić
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marusić
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kalenić
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Babus
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balija
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tićak
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prskalo
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sabarić
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Plecko
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D017523:Croatia / Q000453:epidemiology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial
vernacular_title: Seroprevalencija infekcije Helicobacterom pylori u zdravstvenih djelatnika triju zagrebackih bolnica.