Özdoğaç Mehmet, Güler Emrah, Güvenir Meryem, Hürdoğanoğlu Ulaş, Kiraz Aşkın, Süer Kaya
Near East University Graduate School of Education Science, Department of Environmental Education and Management, Nicosia, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Near East University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Nicosia, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Mikrobiyol Bul. 2022 Jul;56(3):377-386. doi: 10.5578/mb.20229742.
Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease caused by Leishmania parasites, transmitted by sand flies and common in the Mediterranean region. Cyprus is located in the east of Mediterranean Sea and is considered endemic for Leishmaniasis. In our study, it was aimed to investigate Leishmania infantum IgG seropositivity in healthy volunteers living in different regions of Northern Cyprus and to determine the risk factors for Leishmaniasis and measure the level of public knowledge about the disease. A total of 300 healthy volunteers (farmer/livestock: 100, hunter: 100, control group: 100) from five different regions of Northern Cyprus were included in the study, including Nicosia, Kyrenia, Famagusta, Morphou/Lefka, and Trikomo/Karpasia. The participants' blood was drawn and prepared questionnaire forms were filled out. Collected blood was centrifuged and the serum samples were separated and stored at -80ºC until the day of the test. All serum samples were tested for L.infantum IgG specific antibodies using the ELISA method (NovaTec, Immundiagnostica GmbH, Germany) in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations. L.infantum IgG positivity was found to be 4.7% (14/300). The mean ages of L.infantum IgG positive and negative participants were 43.64 ± 11.74 and 42.17 ± 14.32 respectively. There was no statistically significant relationship between seropositivity and age (p= 0.706). The positivity rate was found to be significantly higher in hunters and farmers/livestocks compared with the control group (p= 0.020). In addition, it was determined that having a dog and the number of dogs owned were significantly associated with Leishmaniasis (p= 0.017, p= 0.020, respectively). On the other hand, 77% (231/300) of the volunteers included in our study had no prior knowledge about the disease. When compared to the other study groups, it was determined that hunters had the most knowledge of the Leishmaniasis infection (p= 0.001). Moreover, it was observed that as the education level of the participants increased, the level of knowledge about the disease also increased in parallel (p≤ 0.001). According to the results in our study, L.infantum IgG seropositivity was undeniably high in the healthy population living in Northern Cyprus. It is clear that outdoor activities such as hunting or dealing with farming/livestock are risk factors for the disease. In this context, it is apparent that more clear results will be obtained about the prevalence of the disease with the conduction of large-scale epidemiological studies. As a result, we concluded that especially risk groups should be informed about the current status of Leishmaniasis infection and necessary precautions should be taken.
利什曼病是一种由利什曼原虫寄生虫引起的传染病，通过白蛉传播，在地中海地区较为常见。塞浦路斯位于地中海东部，被认为是利什曼病的流行地区。在我们的研究中，旨在调查居住在北塞浦路斯不同地区的健康志愿者中婴儿利什曼原虫IgG血清阳性情况，确定利什曼病的危险因素，并衡量公众对该疾病的了解程度。来自北塞浦路斯五个不同地区（包括尼科西亚、凯里尼亚、法马古斯塔、莫尔富/莱夫卡和特里科莫/卡尔帕西亚）的300名健康志愿者（农民/牲畜养殖者：100名、猎人：100名、对照组：100名）被纳入研究。采集了参与者的血液，并填写了准备好的问卷表格。采集的血液进行离心，分离出血清样本并储存在-80℃直至检测当天。所有血清样本均按照制造商的建议使用ELISA方法（德国诺华公司，Immundiagnostica GmbH）检测婴儿利什曼原虫IgG特异性抗体。发现婴儿利什曼原虫IgG阳性率为4.7%（14/300）。婴儿利什曼原虫IgG阳性和阴性参与者的平均年龄分别为43.64±11.74岁和42.17±14.32岁。血清阳性与年龄之间无统计学显著关系（p = 0.706）。与对照组相比，猎人以及农民/牲畜养殖者中的阳性率显著更高（p = 0.020）。此外，确定养狗以及养狗数量与利什曼病显著相关（分别为p = 0.017，p = 0.020）。另一方面，我们研究中的志愿者中有77%（231/300）对该疾病没有任何先验知识。与其他研究组相比，确定猎人对利什曼病感染的了解最多（p = 0.001）。此外，观察到随着参与者教育水平的提高，对该疾病的了解程度也相应增加（p≤0.001）。根据我们研究的结果，居住在北塞浦路斯的健康人群中婴儿利什曼原虫IgG血清阳性率无疑很高。显然，狩猎或从事农业/牲畜养殖等户外活动是该疾病的危险因素。在这种情况下，通过开展大规模流行病学研究将能获得关于该疾病患病率的更明确结果。因此我们得出结论，尤其应告知高危人群利什曼病感染的现状，并应采取必要的预防措施。
