title: Seroprevalence of sandfly fever virus infection in military personnel on the western border of Iran.
abstract: Military troops deployed to endemic areas are at risk of contracting sandfly fever, an arthropod-borne viral infection. Although typically a self-limited disease, sandfly fever can cause significant morbidity and loss of function among soldiers. We conducted this study to determine the extent of past SFV infection in a group of healthy Iranian military personnel in Ilam province on the western border of Iran. A total of 201 serum samples were tested by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) to detect four common sandfly fever virus serotypes. Demographic data were also collected. Overall, 37 samples (18.4%) were positive for specific IgG antibodies to sandfly viruses. Sandfly fever Sicilian virus (SFSV) and sandfly fever Naples virus (SFNV) were the most common serotypes. A positive test was inversely related to nativity (P<0.01) but was not associated with age (P=0.163), duration of presence in the border region (P=0.08) or employment status (P=0.179). Our findings indicate that past SFV infection is common among military personnel in the western border region of Iran, a Leishmania-endemic region. Therefore, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of troops presenting with acute febrile illness in similar settings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran; Psychosocial Injuries Research Center, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran. Electronic address: shiralyr@sums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Ramin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shiraly
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran.
authors.forename: Afra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khosravi
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Saman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Farahangiz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D002044:Bunyaviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D016856:Phlebovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D029301:Sandfly fever Naples virus / Q000276:immunology*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G
keywords: Military personnel; Past infection; Sandfly fever; Virus