title: Serological evidence of hantavirus infection in farm and abattoir workers in Trinidad--a preliminary study.
abstract: Hantaviruses are established causative agents of hemorrhagic fevers and renal diseases amongst other clinical manifestations in humans, with most diagnosis based on serological assays. The disease, which is rodent-borne, has been reported in numerous countries worldwide but information about the disease is scanty in the Caribbean. The objective of this investigation is to determine the frequency of exposure to hantaviruses in a selected apparently healthy human population associated with abattoirs and livestock farms in Trinidad using a hantavirus immunoglobulin G (IgG) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Of a total of 236 individuals tested, 27 (11.4%) were seropositive for hantavirus infection. Amongst abattoir workers the frequency of infection was 9.4% (6 of 64) compared with seropositivity rate of 12.4% (18 of 145) and 11.1% (3 of 27) amongst livestock farm workers and office workers and other individuals with minimal animal contact respectively. The differences were, however, not statistically significant (p > .05; χ(2) test). Age, gender, and race did not significantly affect the infection rate by hantavirus in the workers studied. This is considered the first documented evidence of hantavirus infection in Trinidad and Tobago. It is imperative for local physicians to consider hantavirus as a differential diagnosis in patients with hemorrhagic fever and renal diseases, since there may be a number of undiagnosed cases of hantavirus disease in the human population in the country.
authors: School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. Abiodun.Adesiyun@sta.uwi.edu
authors: Abiodun
authors: A
authors: Adesiyun
authors: Shakti
authors: S
authors: Dookeran
authors: Alva
authors: A
authors: Stewart-Johnson
authors: Saed
authors: S
authors: Rahaman
authors: Sham
authors: S
authors: Bissessar
authors: Nadin
authors: N
authors: Thompson
mesh_terms: D000003:Abattoirs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D000383:Agriculture / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006476:Orthohantavirus / Q000276:immunology; D018778:Hantavirus Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014300:Trinidad and Tobago / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D007074:Immunoglobulin G