Seroprevalence of tick-borne infections in forestry rangers from northeastern Italy

ABSTRACTThe aim of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocitophilum and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus, and risk factors, in forestry rangers from the Friuli–Venezia–Giulia region in northeastern Italy. Sera from 181 forestry rangers were examined with two-tiered serological tests for TBE, Lyme borreliosis and ehrlichiosis. Information about risk factors such as job location, residence, number of tick bites and outdoor leisure activities was collected with aquestionnaire. Seropositivity was 0.6% for TBE virus, 23.2% for Lyme borreliosis and 0.6% for ehrlichiosis. Lyme borreliosis positivity, as determined by Western blot, was associated with working in the foothills, with gardening in the northeastern part of the region, and with a history of yearly tick bites. Risk factors were similar when a case of Lyme borreliosis was defined either by Western blot positivity or by clinical history