Seroepidemiological study of Lyme borreliosis among forestry workers in southern Poland.

Abstract

Forestry workers are a professional group particularly exposed to tick-borne infections; however, continuous monitoring of anti-Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies in this group enables faster diagnosis and more effective treatment for borreliosis. A group of 1,155 forestry workers from six forest inspectorates in southern Poland were examined with the immunoenzymatic method (ELISA test). The general level of anti-Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies was 12.8 % in IgM class, and 25 % in IgG class. Markedly more seropositive results were found in the group of fieldworkers (13.8 % - IgM and 25.0 % - IgG) than in office workers (10.0 % - IgM and 13.7 % - IgG). The highest proportions of infections both in IgM and IgG class (17.4 % and 34.8 %, respectively) were recorded in the group of persons over 50 years of age, the lowest - in the group of workers younger than 30 (IgM - 13.0 %, IgG - 14.1%). Significant differences in the level of seropositive results in IgG class were related to the workers' gender - in women the percentage was 9.8 %, in men - 28.1 %. It was found that in the studied region of southern Poland, considered to be non-endemic, borreliosis occurs as a health risk to forestry workers.

• Authors: Alicja Buczek, Alicja Rudek, Katarzyna Bartosik, Jolanta Szymanska, Angelina Wojcik-Fatla
• Journal: Annals of agricultural and environmental medicine : AAEM (Ann Agric Environ Med) Vol. 16 Issue 2 Pg. 257-61 ( 2009) ISSN: 1898-2263 [Electronic] Poland
• PMID: 20047259 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Antibodies, Bacterial
• Immunoglobulin G
• Immunoglobulin M

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Agricultural Workers' Diseases (epidemiology)
• Antibodies, Bacterial (blood)
• Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
• Female
• Humans
• Immunoglobulin G (blood)
• Immunoglobulin M (blood)
• Lyme Disease (epidemiology)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Poland (epidemiology)
• Seroepidemiologic Studies
• Trees