Hygiena 2021, 66(3):87-93 | DOI: 10.21101/hygiena.a1787

Current issues of Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis and their risk factors

Andrea Bušová, Erik Dorko
Univerzita Pavla Jozefa Šafárika v Košiciach, Lekárska fakulta, Ústav verejného zdravotníctva a hygieny, Košice, Slovenská republika

Objective: The aim of this seroepidemiological study was to determine the current prevalence of antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (B. burgdorferi s. l.) and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) among the population of Eastern Slovakia and to evaluate risk factors associated with seropositivity.

Methods: Serum samples with completed questionnaires used for the risk factor analysis were obtained from 275 persons (healthy persons with possible working exposure to tick and outdoor activities and patients from different clinical departments). The set of respondents consisted of 108 (39.3%) men and 167 (60.7%) women. Sera were tested with ELISA and immunoblot assay (IB). During the analysis, we used logistic regression to interpret the influence between selected variables.

Results: The B. burgdorferi screening ELISA test revealed 18.2% positive samples for anti-B. burgdorferi s. l. IgG. The immunoblot, which was performed for the positive and borderline IgG samples, was positive in 15.3%. Positive antibodies of the IgM class were found in 9.1% of the population under study. We detected 0.4% seropositivity of IgG and 1.1% of positive IgM antibodies against tick-borne encephalitis virus. Our results also confirmed that the following risk factors, such as residence, frequent outdoor activities, and pet ownership are significantly associated with the prevalence of specific antibodies.

Conclusion: The results of seroprevalence obtained in the present study confirm the possibility of infection with B. burgdorferi and TBEV among respondents exposed to contact with ticks.

Keywords: tick-borne encephalitis, Lyme borreliosis, tick, risk factors, seropositivity

Received: April 2021; Accepted: June 21, 2021; Published: September 24, 2021  Show citation

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Bušová A, Dorko E. Current issues of Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis and their risk factors. Hygiena. 2021;66(3):87-93. doi: 10.21101/hygiena.a1787.
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