Seroprevalence of sandfly fever virus infection in military personnel on the western border of Iran

• Main Authors: Ramin Shiraly (Author), Afra Khosravi (Author), Saman Farahangiz (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Elsevier, 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Summary: Military troops deployed to endemic areas are at risk of contracting sandfly fever, an arthropod-borne viral infection. Although typically a self-limited disease, sandfly fever can cause significant morbidity and loss of function among soldiers. We conducted this study to determine the extent of past SFV infection in a group of healthy Iranian military personnel in Ilam province on the western border of Iran. A total of 201 serum samples were tested by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) to detect four common sandfly fever virus serotypes. Demographic data were also collected. Overall, 37 samples (18.4%) were positive for specific IgG antibodies to sandfly viruses. Sandfly fever Sicilian virus (SFSV) and sandfly fever Naples virus (SFNV) were the most common serotypes. A positive test was inversely related to nativity (P < 0.01) but was not associated with age (P = 0.163), duration of presence in the border region (P = 0.08) or employment status (P = 0.179).Our findings indicate that past SFV infection is common among military personnel in the western border region of Iran, a Leishmania-endemic region. Therefore, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of troops presenting with acute febrile illness in similar settings. Keywords: Sandfly fever, Virus, Past infection, Military personnel

Item Description

1876-0341
10.1016/j.jiph.2016.02.014