Kalantari Masoumeh, Salehi-Vaziri Mostafa, Pouriayevali Mohammad Hassan, Baniasadi Vahid, Salmanzadeh Shokrollah, Kharat Morteza, Fazlalipour Mehdi
Biology Department, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.
Research Center for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases; Department of Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (National Reference Laboratory), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
J Vector Borne Dis. 2019 Jul-Sep;56(3):263-267. doi: 10.4103/0972-9062.289391.
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: West Nile virus (WNV) is a neurotropic Flavivirus transmitted to humans through mosquito bites. As there is no specific antiviral treatment or approved vaccine against WNV, control and prevention of the infection is the best strategy to reduce the burden of WNV-related diseases. The circulation of WNV has been indicated in several regions of Iran including the Khuzestan province. Considering the complex ecology of WNV, the latest data are necessary for the implementation of preventive measures. Therefore, the present study was designed to provide updated information on the seroepidemiology of WNV in Khuzestan province.
A total of 408 sera were taken from volunteers living in Khuzestan. The presence of specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody against WNV was tested by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. All the data and participants' demographic information were analyzed by SPSS and Esri's ArcMap GIS software programs.
Anti-WNV IgG antibody was detected in 97 (23.8%) out of the 408 tested sera. The highest seropositivity rate was observed in cases aged between 20-29 yr and the lowest seropositivity rate was seen in those <19 yr of age (p = 0.001). There was no statistically significant association between WNV infection and gender, occupation, and educational level. The majority of positive cases were from the city of Ahvaz (47 cases, 48.4%) and Andimeshk (32 cases, 33%).
INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: This study supports the earlier findings suggesting the circulation of WNV in Khuzestan province. Therefore, the implementation of an integrated surveillance system and training of health care workers and general population regarding the infection would be valuable to reduce the burden of possible outbreaks.
西尼罗河病毒（WNV）是一种嗜神经性黄病毒，通过蚊虫叮咬传播给人类。由于目前尚无针对WNV的特异性抗病毒治疗方法或获批疫苗，控制和预防感染是减轻WNV相关疾病负担的最佳策略。伊朗的几个地区，包括胡齐斯坦省，已表明存在WNV传播。考虑到WNV复杂的生态环境，实施预防措施需要最新数据。因此，本研究旨在提供胡齐斯坦省WNV血清流行病学的最新信息。
从居住在胡齐斯坦的志愿者中采集了408份血清样本。采用酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）法检测针对WNV的特异性免疫球蛋白G（IgG）抗体的存在情况。所有数据和参与者的人口统计学信息均通过SPSS和Esri的ArcMap地理信息系统软件程序进行分析。
在408份检测血清中，有97份（23.8%）检测到抗WNV IgG抗体。血清阳性率最高的是年龄在20 - 29岁之间的人群，最低的是年龄小于19岁的人群（p = 0.001）。WNV感染与性别、职业和教育水平之间无统计学显著关联。大多数阳性病例来自阿瓦士市（47例，48.4%）和安迪梅什克市（32例，33%）。
本研究支持了早期的研究结果，表明胡齐斯坦省存在WNV传播。因此，实施综合监测系统以及对医护人员和普通民众进行关于该感染的培训，对于减轻可能爆发疫情的负担将具有重要意义。
