Open AccessAntibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi and tick salivary gland proteins in New Jersey outdoor workers.
Author(s) -
Brian S. Schwartz,
Michael Goldstein,
James E. Childs
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.83.12.1746
Subject(s) - borrelia burgdorferi , lyme disease , seroprevalence , saliva , tick , antibody , medicine , immunology , lyme , virology , serology
In 1990, a second cross-sectional study of outdoor workers (n = 758) at high risk for Lyme disease was conducted. A questionnaire was administered, and antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi and tick salivary gland proteins (antitick saliva antibody, a biologic marker of tick exposure) were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The statewide Lyme disease seroprevalence increased from 8.1% in 1988 to 18.7% in 1990. Antitick saliva antibody seropositivity varied by county and was associated with measures of self-reported tick exposure. The data suggested that the prevalence of B. burgdorferi infection increased in New Jersey outdoor workers from 1988 to 1990.