Parlak Mehmet, Bayram Yasemin, Çıkman Aytekin, Ceylan Nesrin, Berktaş Mustafa
Yuzuncu Yil University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Microbiology, Van, Turkey.
Mikrobiyol Bul. 2015 Jul;49(3):439-45. doi: 10.5578/mb.9329.
Lyme borreliosis, which is more prevalent in the northern hemisphere, is the most common tick-borne contagious disease among people living in the North America and Europe. The causative agent of Lyme borreliosis, Borrelia burgdorferi, is transmitted by the bites of ticks of the genus Ixodes. In Turkey, the seroprevalence of Lyme disease is increased in regions where ticks and tick-bite cases are prevalent. The present study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of Lyme borreliosis in people at risk, living in the rural areas of Van province, which is located in the eastern region of Turkey. No previous study on this topic has been performed in our province. The study included a total of 446 subjects (mean age: 39.6±15.5 years), of them 139 were male and 307 were female, living in the rural areas of Van province between January 2012 and July 2012. The serum samples collected from participants after informed consent were screened for the presence of B.burgdorferi IgG antibodies by ELISA method. Western blot (WB) method was used for the confirmation of positive or borderline positive samples, and also for the investigation of IgM antibodies. During the study, the individuals from whom samples were taken, were questioned whether they have ever been exposed to tick or insect bite. B.burgdorferi IgG positivity was detected in 17 (3.8%) of the cases, whereas it was within the limit values in 14 cases. A total of 31 samples which yielded positive and borderline positive results were retested by WB and 4 (12.9%) were detected as positive while 10 (32.3%) of the samples were indeterminate. B.burgdorferi IgM antibody positivity was not detected in any of the samples. Considering the WB as reference method, the rate of B.burgdorferi IgG seropositivity was estimated as 0.9% (4/446). Three of these four cases were defined as tick or insect bites. The seroprevalence rate of B.burgdorferi detected in the present study was low as compared to the results of the other studies reported from Turkey. The reason of this result might be from the geographical characteristics and the differences of tick fauna in our region. As a result, it was concluded that our province is not endemic for Lyme borreliosis, however for the reduction of tick exposure, emphasis must be placed on preventive health services for the individuals at risk.
莱姆病螺旋体病在北半球更为普遍，是北美和欧洲居民中最常见的蜱传传染病。莱姆病螺旋体病的病原体伯氏疏螺旋体通过硬蜱属蜱虫的叮咬传播。在土耳其，蜱虫和蜱虫叮咬病例普遍的地区，莱姆病的血清阳性率有所上升。本研究旨在确定生活在土耳其东部凡省农村地区的高危人群中莱姆病螺旋体病的血清阳性率。我省此前尚未开展过关于该主题的研究。该研究共纳入446名受试者（平均年龄：39.6±15.5岁），其中139名男性，307名女性，于2012年1月至2012年7月生活在凡省农村地区。在获得知情同意后，采集参与者的血清样本，采用酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）法筛查伯氏疏螺旋体IgG抗体的存在情况。采用蛋白质印迹法（WB）确认阳性或临界阳性样本，并检测IgM抗体。在研究过程中，询问了采集样本的个体是否曾接触过蜱虫或昆虫叮咬。17例（3.8%）病例检测到伯氏疏螺旋体IgG阳性，14例在限值范围内。对31份产生阳性和临界阳性结果的样本进行WB复检，4例（12.9%）检测为阳性，10例（32.3%）样本结果不确定。所有样本均未检测到伯氏疏螺旋体IgM抗体阳性。以WB作为参考方法，伯氏疏螺旋体IgG血清阳性率估计为0.9%（4/446）。这4例中有3例被确定为蜱虫或昆虫叮咬。与土耳其其他研究结果相比，本研究中检测到的伯氏疏螺旋体血清阳性率较低。该结果的原因可能是我们地区的地理特征和蜱类动物群的差异。因此，得出的结论是，我省并非莱姆病螺旋体病的地方性流行区，然而，为了减少蜱虫暴露，必须重视对高危个体的预防性健康服务。
