National Reference Laboratory of Plague, Tularemia and Q Fever, Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Akanlu, Kabudar-Ahang, Hamadan, Iran.
Urology and Nephrology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis. 2019 Oct;66:101322. doi: 10.1016/j.cimid.2019.06.003. Epub 2019 Jun 19.
Most zoonoses are occupational diseases. Q fever, brucellosis and tularemia are major zoonotic diseases for butchers and slaughterhouse workers. However, little information is available about these infectious diseases in such professional populations in western of Iran. The aim of this study was to investigate the seroprevalence and risk factors associated with these three zoonoses among butchers and slaughterhouse workers in the Lorestan province of Iran. In 2017, 289 individuals (144 butchers or slaughterhouse workers, and 145 people from the general population) were enrolled in 11 different counties of this province. Collected serum samples were tested by ELISA for detection of IgG antibodies against Coxiella burnetii, Brucella spp. or Francisella tularensis antigens. The seroprevalence of Q fever, brucellosis and tularemia among all participants were 23.5%, 31.8% and 3.8%, respectively. The seroprevalence of brucellosis and Q fever among butchers and slaughterhouse workers (43.7% and 29.8%, respectively) were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those of the general population (20% and 17.2%, respectively). A contact history with small ruminants (sheep and goats) was associated with a higher risk of positive serology for all three studied zoonoses. The high seroprevalence for Q fever and brucellosis we found among butchers and slaughterhouse workers suggests that both diseases are common in these populations of the Lorestan province. Since these two infectious diseases are clinically unspecific, they must be systematically included in the etiological diagnosis of infectious diseases occurring in these at-risk populations. In addition, we recommend specific training programs as well as the use of personal protective equipment in these occupational groups to reduce the occurrence of these zoonotic diseases.
大多数人畜共患病都是职业性疾病。Q 热、布鲁氏菌病和土拉热是屠夫和屠宰场工人的主要人畜共患病。然而，在伊朗西部的此类职业人群中，关于这些传染病的信息很少。本研究的目的是调查伊朗洛雷斯坦省屠夫和屠宰场工人中这三种人畜共患病的血清流行率和相关危险因素。2017 年，从该省 11 个不同县招募了 289 人（144 名屠夫或屠宰场工人和 145 名普通人群）。采集的血清样本通过 ELISA 检测 Coxiella burnetii、Brucella spp. 或 Francisella tularensis 抗原的 IgG 抗体。所有参与者中 Q 热、布鲁氏菌病和土拉热的血清流行率分别为 23.5%、31.8%和 3.8%。屠夫和屠宰场工人中布鲁氏菌病和 Q 热的血清流行率（分别为 43.7%和 29.8%）明显高于普通人群（分别为 20%和 17.2%）（p < 0.05）。与小反刍动物（绵羊和山羊）接触史与所有三种研究的人畜共患病的阳性血清学风险增加相关。我们在屠夫和屠宰场工人中发现 Q 热和布鲁氏菌病的高血清流行率表明，这两种疾病在洛雷斯坦省的这些人群中很常见。由于这两种传染病在临床上无特异性，因此必须在这些高危人群中发生的传染病的病因诊断中系统地包括这些疾病。此外，我们建议在这些职业群体中制定特定的培训计划并使用个人防护设备，以减少这些人畜共患病的发生。
