Acharya Dilaram, Park Ji-Hyuk
Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Dongguk University, Gyeongju 38066, Korea.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Mar 12;18(6):2933. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18062933.
Limited data are available on the current status of Lyme disease in South Korea. The aim of this study was to investigate the seroprevalence and risk factors associated with Lyme disease infection among forestry workers in National Park Offices in South Korea. We enrolled National Park Office forestry workers (NPOFWs) who had worked for ≥1 year. Participants completed questionnaires that addressed various subjects including work types and work hygiene-related factors. Collected serum samples were tested using immunofluorescence assay to detect anti- antibodies. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent risk factors of seroprevalence. Of 1,410 NPOFWs, 655 (46.5%) participated in this study, and an overall seroprevalence of Lyme disease antibodies was 8.1%. Analysis showed that always eating meals in woodland (odds ratio (OR), 5.11; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.08-12.52) and raising dogs outside homes (OR, 3.25; 95% CI, 1.57-6.75) were significantly associated with Lyme disease infection. This seroprevalence study indicates that Lyme disease is an important disease among NPOFWs in South Korea. These identified modifiable risk factors should be considered while designing preventive strategies for reducing Lyme disease infection among NPOFWs.
关于韩国莱姆病的现状，现有数据有限。本研究的目的是调查韩国国家公园管理处林业工人中莱姆病感染的血清阳性率及相关危险因素。我们纳入了工作年限≥1年的国家公园管理处林业工人（NPOFWs）。参与者完成了涉及各种主题的问卷，包括工作类型和与工作卫生相关的因素。使用免疫荧光测定法对采集的血清样本进行检测，以检测抗抗体。采用多因素逻辑回归分析确定血清阳性率的独立危险因素。在1410名NPOFWs中，655名（46.5%）参与了本研究，莱姆病抗体的总体血清阳性率为8.1%。分析表明，经常在林地用餐（优势比（OR），5.11；95%置信区间（CI），2.08 - 12.52）和在家外养狗（OR，3.25；95%CI，1.57 - 6.75）与莱姆病感染显著相关。这项血清阳性率研究表明，莱姆病在韩国的NPOFWs中是一种重要疾病。在设计预防策略以减少NPOFWs中的莱姆病感染时，应考虑这些已确定的可改变危险因素。
