RESEARCH PAPER
Prevalence of antibodies against selected zoonotic agents in forestry workers from eastern and southern Poland
 
More details
Hide details
1
Department of Allergology and Environmental Hazards, Institute of Rural Health, Lublin, Poland
 
2
Department of Public Health, Institute of Rural Health, Lublin, Poland
 
3
Department of Mother and Child Health, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland
 
4
Department of Infectious Diseases, Medical University, Lublin, Poland
 
5
Independent Laboratory for Environmental Parasitology and Bacteriology, Institute of Rural Health, Lublin, Poland
 
 
Ann Agric Environ Med. 2014;21(4):767-770
 
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Introduction and objective:
Prevalence of antibodies against selected zoonotic agents in forestry workers from eastern and southern Poland. introduction and objective. Due to the nature of their work, foresters are exposed to many infectious pathogens from the wildlife reservoir. The primary aim of this study was to assess their contact with these pathogens.

Material and Methods:
Sera and antibodies, mainly of IgG class against selected infectious factors, collected from a group of 216 employees of National Forests from eastern and southern Poland, were investigated.

Results:
Antibodies to Anaplasma phagocytophilum were detected in 64 sera (29.6%), to Bartonella spp. in 133 sera (61.6%), to Babesia microti in 50 sera (23.1%), and to Coxiella burnetii in 14 sera (6.4%); 7 sera (3.2%) were positive to Francisella tularensis. In studies of diseases not carried by ticks positive results were found in 28 sera (12.9%) to Toxocara canis, 13 sera (6.0 %) to Trichinella spiralis, and in 7 sera (3.2%) to Echinococcus granulosus. Antibodies to Hanta viruses were detected with antigens from Puumala and Dobrava/Hantaan strains in both IgM and IgG class. In 9 foresters, positive results were found, including one positive result to 2 antigens, 5 to Dobrava/Hantaan antigen and 3 to Puumala antigen.

Conclusions:
Frequently higher percentages of positive results were found in people working utdoors, and in men when compared with women.

 
REFERENCES (25)
1.
Stefanoff P, Rosińska M, Zielinski A. Epidemiology of tick-borne diseases in Poland. Przegl Epidemiol. 2006; 60: 151–159 (in Polish).
 
2.
Gut W, Prokopovich D. Half century of tick-borne encephalitis in Poland. Przegl Epidemiol. 2002; 56: 129–135 (in Polish).
 
3.
Chmielewska-Badora J, Moniuszko A, Żukiewicz-Sobczak W, Zwoliński J, Piątek J, Pancewicz S. Serological survey in persons occupationally exposed to tick-borne pathogens in cases of co-infections with Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia microti, and Bartonella spp. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2012; 19(2): 271–274.
 
4.
Zwolinski J, Chmielewska-Badora J, Wojcik-Fatla A, Cisak E, Buczek A, Dutkiewicz J. Human granulocytic anaplasmosis as an emerging problem of public health. Zdr Publ. 2007; 117: 213–219 (in Polish).
 
5.
Angelakis E, Billeter SA, Breitschwerdt EB, Chomel BB, Raoult D. Potential for tick-borne bartonelloses. Emerg Infect Dis. http://wwwnc. cdc.gov/eid/article/16/3/09–1685.htm (access: 2014.04.16). doi: 10.3201/ eid1603.091685.
 
6.
Vyrostekova V. Transstadial transmission of Francisella tularensis by Ixodes ricinus ticks infected during the nymphal stage. Epidemiol Microbiol Imunol. 1994; 43(4): 166–170 (in Slovak).
 
7.
Truszczyński M. Q fever, animal disease and zoonosis – practical aspects. Życie Wet. 2010; 85: 584–587 (in Polish).
 
8.
Wojcik-Fatla A, Cisak E, Chmielewska-Badora J, Zwolinski J, Buczek A, Dutkiewicz J. Prevalence of Babesia microti in Ixodes ricinus ticks from Lublin region (Eastern Poland). Ann Agric Environ Med. 2006; 13: 319–322.
 
9.
Grygorczuk S, Pancewicz S, Zajkowska J, Kondrusik M, Świerzbińska R, Moniuszko A et al. Detection of anti-hantavirus antibodies in forest workers in the north-east of Poland. Przegl Epidemiol. 2008; 62(3): 531–537 (in Polish).
 
10.
Pannwitz G, Mayer-Scholl S, Balicka-Ramisz A, Nöckler K. Increased prevalence of Trichinella spp., northeastern Germany, 2008. Emerg Infect Dis. 2010; 16(6): 936–942.
 
11.
Gawor J. Potential risk factors for alveolar echinococcosis in humans in Poland. Przegl Epidemiol. 2011; 65: 465–470 (in Polish).
 
12.
Belongia EA. Epidemiology and impact of coinfections acquired from Ixodes ticks. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2002; 2(4): 265–273.
 
13.
Brouqui P, Dumler JS, Lienhard R, Brossard M, Raoult D. Human granulocytic ehrlichiosis in Europe. Lancet 1995; 346: 782–783.
 
14.
Dumler JS, Dotevall L, Gustafson R, Granström M. A population-based seroepidemiologic study of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis and Lyme borreliosis on the west coast of Sweden. J Infect Dis. 1997; 175: 720–722.
 
15.
Rojko T, Ursic T, Avšič-Zupanc T, Petrovec M, Strle F, Lotrič-Furlan S.Seroprevalence of human anaplasmosis in slovene forestry workers. Ann NY Acad Sci. 2006; 1078: 92–94.
 
16.
Nadelman RB, Horowitz HW, Hsieh TC, Wu JM, Aguero-Rosenfeld ME, Schwartz I, Nowakowski J, Varde S, Wormser GP. Simultaneous human granulocytic ehrlichiosis and Lyme borreliosis. N Engl J Med. 1997; 337(1): 27–30.
 
17.
Swanson SJ, Neitzel D, Reed KD, Belongia EA. Coinfections acquired from Ixodes ticks. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2006; 19(4): 708–727.
 
18.
Epidemiological reports for the years 1996 to 2012. National Institute of Public Health, Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, Warsaw 1997–2013.
 
19.
Brhel P, Bartnicka M. Occupational infectious diseases in the Czech Republic. Med Pr. 2003; 54(6): 529–533 (in Polish).
 
20.
Moniuszko A, Zajkowska J, Pancewicz S, Kondrusik M, Grygorczuk S, Czupryna P. Arthropod-borne tularemia in Poland: a case report. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2011; 11(10): 1399–1401. doi: 10.1089/ vbz.2010.0227.
 
21.
Cinco M, Luzzati R, Mascioli M, Floris R, Brouqui P. Serological evidence of Rickettsia infections in forestry rangers in north-eastern Italy. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2006; 12(5): 493–495.
 
22.
Norlander L. Q fever epidemiology and pathogenesis. Microbes Infect. 2000; 2(4): 417–424.
 
23.
Moll van Charante AW, Groen J, Mulder PG, Rijpkema SG, Osterhaus AD. Occupational risks of zoonotic infections in Dutch forestry workers and muskrat catchers. Eur J Epidemiol. 1998; 14(2): 109–116.
 
24.
Mertens M, Hofmann J, Petraitytė-Burneikiene R, Ziller M, Sasnauskas K, Friedrich R, et al. Seroprevalence study in forestry workers of a non-endemic region in eastern Germany reveals infections by Tula and Dobrava-Belgrade hantaviruses. Med Microbiol Immunol. 2011; 200(4): 263–268.
 
25.
Schweiger A, Ammann RW, Candinas D, Clavien PA, Eckert J, Gottstein B, et al. Human alveolar ecihnococcosis after fox population increase in Switzerland. Emerg Infect Dis 2007; 13: 878–882.
 
eISSN:1898-2263
ISSN:1232-1966
Journals System - logo
Scroll to top