Seroprevalence of antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in healthy blood donors in Romania: an update

Parasites & Vectors

Mirela Flonta¹  Andrei Daniel Mihalca²  Amanda-Lelia Rădulescu³  Zsuzsa Kalmár³  Adriana Topan³  Mihaela Lupșe⁴  Violeta Briciu⁴  Mircea Coroian⁵ 

[1] Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Cluj-Napoca, Romania;University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania;“Iuliu Hațieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania;“Iuliu Hațieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania;Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Cluj-Napoca, Romania;“Iuliu Hațieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania;University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania;

关键词: Lyme disease;    Seroprevalence;    Borrelia burgdorferi;    Antibodies;    Ixodes ricinus;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13071-021-05099-1

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) genogroup is the causative agent responsible for Lyme borreliosis, a common tick-borne infectious disease in some temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. In humans, the clinical manifestations of Lyme borreliosis vary from dermatological infection to severe systemic manifestations. In Romania, data on the seroprevalence of Lyme borreliosis and associated risk factors are scarce and outdated, as the only seroprevalence study with a large dataset was published more than 20 years ago. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the seroprevalence for Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. in healthy blood donors from six Romanian counties and identify the associated risk factors.MethodsThe study was conducted among 1200 healthy blood donors aged between 18 and 65 years during November 2019 and September 2020 from six counties in the northwestern and central parts of Romania. A two-tiered testing strategy was applied. Positive and equivocal immunoenzymatic test results for IgG and IgM antibodies were further confirmed by Western blot.ResultsSerum samples from 20% of the blood donors had positive or equivocal IgG and IgM ELISA index values. In total, 2.3% of the serum samples for IgG and 1.8% for IgM were positive by Western blot. The seroprevalence for both antibodies varied between 1.5% (Satu-Mare) and 6.5% (Bistrița-Năsăud) in the six counties investigated. The highest seroprevalence was observed in men (4.7%), in blood donors performing their professional activities outdoors (4.2%), and in those aged  ≥ 56 years (8%).ConclusionsThese findings confirm the presence of specific IgG and IgM antibodies to B. burgdorferi s.l. among healthy blood donors from Romania. Furthermore, potential risk factors, such as gender, age, and behavior, associated with the presence of positive B. burgdorferi s.l. antibodies among healthy blood donors were identified.Graphical Abstract

【 授权许可】

CC BY