Prevalence and risk factors for lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection in continental Croatian regions

Vilibić-Čavlek, Tatjana (author), Oreški, Tena (author), Korva, Miša (author), Kolarič, Branko (author), Stevanovic, Vladimir (author), Židovec-Lepej, Snježana (author), Tabain, Irena (author), Jelicic, Pavle (author), Miklausic-Pavic, Bozana (author), Savić, Vladimir (author), Barbić, Ljubo (author), Avšič-Županc, Tatjana (author)

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) is a neglected human pathogen associated with aseptic meningitis, severe systemic infections in immunocompromised persons, and congenital anomalies. Data on the prevalence of LCMV infections are scarce. We analyzed the seroprevalence of LCMV in continental Croatian regions. A total of 338 serum samples of professionally exposed (forestry workers, hunters, agriculture workers in contact with rodents) and non-exposed populations (general population, pregnant women) were tested for the presence of LCMV antibodies using indirect immunofluorescence assay. No participants reported recent febrile disease. LCMV IgG antibodies were detected in 23/6.8% of participants: 9.8% exposed persons and 5.1% non-exposed persons (6.1% in the general population and 3.9% in pregnant women). No participants were LCMV IgM positive. Although higher seropositivity was found in males compared to females (8.9% vs. 4.7%), inhabitants of suburban/rural areas compared to inhabitants of urban areas (9.2% vs. 4.6%), and persons who used well as a source of water compared to those who used tap (11.4% vs. 5.6%), these differences did not reach statistical significance. Results of logistic regression showed that the presence of rodents in the house/yard and cleaning rodent nests were associated with an elevated risk for LCMV infection (OR = 2.962, 95% CI = 1.019–8.607).

• Language: English
• Keywords: lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, seroprevalence, general population, professionally exposed, pregnant women, Croatia
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: MF - Faculty of Medicine
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 10 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 6, iss. 2, art. 67
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-135509
• UDC: 616.9
• ISSN on article: 2414-6366
• DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed6020067
• COBISS.SI-ID: 67793923
• Publication date in RUL: 17.03.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Tropical medicine and infectious disease
• Shortened title: Trop. med. infect. dis.
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2414-6366
• COBISS.SI-ID: 526463769

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 01.06.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: virus limfocitnega horiomeningitisa, seroprevalenca, splošno prebivalstvo

Projects

• Funder: Other - Other funder or multiple funders
• Funding programme: University of Zagreb, School of Medicine
• Name: Prevalence of lymphocytic choriomeningitis in the Croatian mainland

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Funding programme: H2020
• Project number: 653316
• Name: European Virus Archive goes global
• Acronym: EVAg