Hassenstein Max J, Janzen Irina, Krause Gérard, Harries Manuela, Melhorn Vanessa, Kerrinnes Tobias, Kemmling Yvonne, Castell Stefanie
Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), 38124 Braunschweig, Germany.
PhD Programme "Epidemiology" Braunschweig-Hannover, Germany.
Microorganisms. 2022 Nov 17;10(11):2286. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms10112286.
Lyme borreliosis is the leading tick-related illness in Europe, caused by s.l. Lower Saxony, Germany, including its capital, Hanover, has a higher proportion of infected ticks than central European countries, justifying a research focus on the potential human consequences. The current knowledge gap on human incident infections, particularly in Western Germany, demands serological insights, especially regarding a potentially changing climate-related tick abundance and activity. We determined the immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) serostatuses for 8009 German National Cohort (NAKO) participants from Hanover, examined in 2014-2018. We used an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as the screening and a line immunoblot as confirmation for the s.l. antibodies. We weighted the seropositivity proportions to estimate general population seropositivity and estimated the force of infection (FOI). Using logistic regression, we investigated risk factors for seropositivity. Seropositivity was 3.0% (IgG) and 2.1% (IgM). The FOI varied with age, sharply increasing in participants aged ≥40 years. We confirmed advancing age and male sex as risk factors. We reported reduced odds for seropositivity with increasing body mass index and depressive symptomatology, respectively, pointing to an impact of lifestyle-related behaviors. The local proportion of seropositive individuals is comparable to previous estimates for northern Germany, indicating a steady seroprevalence.
莱姆病是欧洲最主要的蜱传播疾病，由狭义伯氏疏螺旋体（Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato，B. burgdorferi s.l.）引起。德国下萨克森州，包括其首府汉诺威，感染蜱的比例高于中欧国家，这使得对其潜在的人类影响进行研究成为重点。目前关于人类感染情况的知识缺口，尤其是在德国西部，需要血清学方面的见解，特别是考虑到与气候相关的蜱虫数量和活动可能发生变化。我们测定了2014 - 2018年接受检查的8009名来自汉诺威的德国国民队列（NAKO）参与者的免疫球蛋白G（IgG）和免疫球蛋白M（IgM）血清状态。我们使用酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）进行筛查，并使用线性免疫印迹法确认狭义伯氏疏螺旋体抗体。我们对血清阳性比例进行加权以估计总体人群血清阳性率，并估计感染率（FOI）。使用逻辑回归，我们研究了血清阳性的风险因素。血清阳性率为3.0%（IgG）和2.1%（IgM）。感染率随年龄变化，在40岁及以上参与者中急剧上升。我们确认年龄增长和男性性别为风险因素。我们分别报告了随着体重指数增加和抑郁症状增加血清阳性几率降低，这表明生活方式相关行为的影响。当地血清阳性个体的比例与德国北部先前的估计相当，表明血清流行率稳定。
