Risk of acquiring tick-borne infections in forestry workers from Lazio, Italy.
The seroprevalence of antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus was evaluated in a group of forestry rangers in the Lazio region of Italy. One hundred and forty-five forestry rangers and 282 blood donors were examined by two-tiered serological tests for B. burgdorferi and TBE virus. Information on occupation, residence, tick bites, outdoor leisure activities and other risk factors was obtained. The prevalence of IgG/IgM antibodies to B. burgdorferi showed no statistical difference between the two groups, but there was a higher occurrence of IgM antibodies. There were significant differences between indoor and outdoor, urban and rural workplaces among the 145 exposed workers (χ² test: p < 0.001), and a higher risk for outdoor rural than urban tasks was detected among the ten Western blot-tested forestry rangers positive to B. burgdorferi (χ² test: p < 0.1). No seropositivity was observed for the TBE virus. Forestry rangers from the Lazio region did not have a higher risk of Borrelia infection than the blood donors, though an increase in the risk for outdoor tasks in a rural environment was observed.
Di Renzi
S
S
Department of Occupational Medicine, Istituto Superiore per la Prevenzione e Sicurezza del Lavoro, 00040 Monte Porzio Catone, Rome, Italy.
Martini
A
A
Binazzi
A
A
Marinaccio
A
A
Vonesch
N
N
D'Amico
W
W
Moro
T
T
Fiorentini
C
C
Ciufolini
M G
MG
Visca
P
P
Tomao
P
P
D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D025065:Borrelia burgdorferi / Q000276:immunology*; D004669:Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne / Q000276:immunology*; D004675:Encephalitis, Tick-Borne / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D016468:Forestry; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D017282:Tick-Borne Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000914:Antibodies, Viral