[Seropositivity of Borrelia burgdorferi in risky groups in Van region, Turkey].

[Seropositivity of Borrelia burgdorferi in risky groups in Van region, Turkey]. Mikrobiyol Bul. 2015 Jul;49(3):439-45 Authors: Parlak M, Bayram Y, Çıkman A, Ceylan N, Berktaş M Abstract Lyme borreliosis, which is more prevalent in the northern hemisphere, is the most common tick-borne contagious disease among people living in the North America and Europe. The causative agent of Lyme borreliosis, Borrelia burgdorferi, is transmitted by the bites of ticks of the genus Ixodes. In Turkey, the seroprevalence of Lyme disease is increased in regions where ticks and tick-bite cases are prevalent. The present study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of Lyme borreliosis in people at risk, living in the rural areas of Van province, which is located in the eastern region of Turkey. No previous study on this topic has been performed in our province. The study included a total of 446 subjects (mean age: 39.6 ± 15.5 years), of them 139 were male and 307 were female, living in the rural areas of Van province between January 2012 and July 2012. The serum samples collected from participants after informed consent were screened for the presence of B.burgdorferi IgG antibodies by ELISA method. Western blot (WB) method was used for the confirmation of positive or borderline positive samples, and also for the investigation of IgM antibodies. During the study, the individuals from whom samples were taken, were questioned whether they have ever been ...
Source: Mikrobiyoloji Bulteni - Category: Microbiology Tags: Mikrobiyol Bul Source Type: research