Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Ceilândia, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil.
Instituto Butantan, Laboratório de Bacteriologia, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo. 2024 Aug 26;66:e49. doi: 10.1590/S1678-9946202466049. eCollection 2024.
Waste pickers constitute a marginalized demographic engaged in the collection of refuse, facing considerable occupational hazards that heighten their susceptibility to contract infectious diseases. Moreover, waste pickers contend with societal stigmatization and encounter barriers to accessing healthcare services. To explore the viral profile of waste pickers potentially linked to their occupational environment, we conducted a metagenomic analysis on 120 plasma specimens sampled from individuals employed at the Cidade Estrutural dumpsite in Brasilia city, Brazil. In total, 60 blood donors served as a comparative control group. Specimens were pooled and subjected to Illumina NextSeq 2000 sequencing. Viral abundance among waste pickers revealed the presence of significant pathogens, including HIV, HCV, and Chikungunya, which were not detected in the control group. Additionally, elevated levels of anelloviruses and Human pegivirus-1 were noted, with a comparable incidence in the control group. These findings underscore the utility of metagenomics in identifying clinically relevant viral agents within underserved populations. The implications of this study extend to informing public health policies aimed at surveilling infectious diseases among individuals facing socioeconomic disparities and limited access to healthcare resources.
拾荒者是一个边缘化的群体，从事垃圾收集工作，面临着相当大的职业危害，使他们更容易感染传染病。此外，拾荒者还面临社会污名化，并难以获得医疗保健服务。为了探索与拾荒者职业环境相关的病毒特征，我们对来自巴西巴西利亚市 Cidade Estrutural 垃圾场的 120 份血浆样本进行了宏基因组分析。共有 60 名献血者作为对照组。对样本进行合并，并进行 Illumina NextSeq 2000 测序。结果显示，拾荒者血液中的病毒数量明显较高，包括 HIV、HCV 和基孔肯雅热，而对照组中没有检测到这些病毒。此外，还检测到了高水平的圆环病毒和人类 Pegivirus-1，对照组中也有类似的发生率。这些发现强调了宏基因组学在确定服务不足人群中临床相关病毒因子方面的作用。本研究的意义在于为旨在监测面临社会经济差异和医疗资源有限的人群中的传染病的公共卫生政策提供信息。
