title: Seroprevalence of Brucellosis, Leptospirosis, and Q Fever among Butchers and Slaughterhouse Workers in South-Eastern Iran.
abstract: Zoonotic diseases can be occupational hazards to people who work in close contact with animals or their carcasses. In this cross-sectional study, 190 sera were collected from butchers and slaughterhouse workers in different regions of the Sistan va Baluchestan province, in Iran in 2011. A questionnaire was filled for each participant to document personal and behavioural information. The sera were tested for detection of specific IgG antibodies against brucellosis, leptospirosis, and Q fever (phase I and II) using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The seroprevalence of brucellosis was 7.9%, leptospirosis 23.4%, and phase I and II of Q fever were 18.1% and 14.4%, respectively. The seroprevalence of Q fever and leptospirosis, but not brucellosis, varied among regions within the province (p = 0.01). Additionally, a significant relationship was found between seropositivity of Q fever and camel slaughtering (p = 0.04). Reduced seropositivity rate of brucellosis was associated with use of personal protective equipment (PPE) (p = 0.004). This study shows that brucellosis, leptospirosis and Q fever occur among butchers and slaughterhouse workers in this area.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.|National Reference Laboratory for Plague, Tularemia and Q fever, Research Centre for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Akanlu, Kabudar Ahang, Hamadan, Iran.|Department of Bacteriology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Saber
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Esmaeili
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Saied Reza
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Naddaf
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.|Department of Virology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Behzad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pourhossein
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.|National Reference Laboratory for Plague, Tularemia and Q fever, Research Centre for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Akanlu, Kabudar Ahang, Hamadan, Iran.
authors.forename: Abdolrazagh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hashemi Shahraki
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.|Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Fahimeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bagheri Amiri
authors.affiliation: Centre of Disease Control (CDC), Ministry of Health, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Mehdi
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gouya
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.|National Reference Laboratory for Plague, Tularemia and Q fever, Research Centre for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Akanlu, Kabudar Ahang, Hamadan, Iran.
authors.forename: Ehsan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mostafavi
mesh_terms: D000003:Abattoirs; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D002417:Cattle; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005843:Geography; D006041:Goats; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011778:Q Fever / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012756:Sheep; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G