Determination of Seroprevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi IgG in Adult Population Living in Trabzon
Journal Title: Balkan Medical Journal - Year 2017, Vol 34, Issue 1
Abstract
Background: Lyme borreliosis is a tick-borne, multi-systemic infectious disease that is thought to be wide spread in Turkey even though studies on its seroprevalence are limited. Aims: To determine the seroprevalence of Lyme borreliosis in part of north-eastern Tur-key (in the city of Trabzon), and to identify possible relationships between seropositivity and various factors such as location, gender, age group, occupation, income, and educational level. Study Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study. Methods: A total of 884 blood samples collected from provincial and district health centers serving a population of about 800,000 were included in this study. ELISA was used to determine the anti-Borrelia IgG antibody levels in the samples. Samples that yielded positive results by ELISA were further subjected to western blot (WB). Results: IgG antibodies were found in 128 samples (14.5%). Statistical analysis revealed significant differences between age groups and educational levels in terms of the incidence of seropositivity, whereas location, gender, occupational group and income level had no effect (p<0.001, p<0.001, p=0.948, p=0.645, p=0.131, p=0.080 respectively). Conclusions: The risk of contracting Lyme borreliosis in Trabzon is high, and necessary measures need to be taken to avoid the spread of disease."
Authors and Affiliations
Merve Cora, Neşe Kaklıkkaya, Murat Topbaş, Gamze Çan, Asuman Yavuzyılmaz, İlknur Tosun, Faruk Aydın
Keywords
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