Prevalence of Antibodies to Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae in the Region of Split (Southern Croatia)

The prevalence of IgG antibodies to spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFG) was investigated by the indirect immunofluorescence assay in a sample of 1207 healthy residents of the central part of southern Croatia (eastern coast of Adriatic Sea). Sera obtained from subjects living in three different pla...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of epidemiology 2003-01, Vol.18 (5), p.451-455
Main Authors: PUNDA-POLIC, Volga, KLISMANIC, Zorana, CAPKUN, Vesna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Animals
Antibodies
Antibodies, Bacterial - blood
Bacterial diseases
Biological and medical sciences
Boutonneuse fever
Boutonneuse Fever - blood
Boutonneuse Fever - epidemiology
Child
Child, Preschool
Croatia - epidemiology
Disease
Epidemiology
Female
Fever
Fluorescent Antibody Technique
Human bacterial diseases
Humans
Immunoglobulin G - blood
Indirect fluorescent antibody technique
Infant
Infectious Diseases
Logistic Models
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Prevalence
Rickettsia conorii
Rickettsia conorii - immunology
Rickettsia conorii - isolation & purification
Rickettsial diseases
Risk Factors
Rural areas
Rural Population
Seroepidemiologic Studies
Tropical bacterial diseases
University hospitals
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Description
Summary:The prevalence of IgG antibodies to spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFG) was investigated by the indirect immunofluorescence assay in a sample of 1207 healthy residents of the central part of southern Croatia (eastern coast of Adriatic Sea). Sera obtained from subjects living in three different places of residency (urban, suburban and rural environs of the region) were tested. Overall 528 (43.7%) persons had significant antibody titers (1:40 or higher), with a significantly higher prevalence in suburban and rural areas. The results show that inhabitants in the area are clearly being exposed to SFG rickettsiae. Risk factors significantly associated with seropositivity to SFG rickettsiae were: living in suburban and rural settlements (odds ratio [OR] = 1.81; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.35-2.4), contact with animals (OR: 1.52; 95% CI: 1.15-1.99), and increase of age (OR: 1.18; 95% CI: 1.09-1.26).
ISSN:0393-2990
1573-7284
DOI:10.1023/A:1024265306482