SEROLOGICAL MARKERS OF BORRELIA BURGDORFERI INFECTION AMONG FORESTRY WORKERS IN WEST POMERANIA DURING A FIVE-YEAR PERIOD

摘要

Lyme disease, sometimes referred to as borreliosis, is a professional disease of the forest industry workers in Poland. This study presents results of our research on the B. burgdorferi spirochaete infection in cidence in forest districts of the WestPomeranian Province basing on B. burgdorferi antibodies present in the blood serum of respondents. We compared the percentage of the infected in four forest districts during five years (1995-2000). The percentage ranged between 35-61.9%, in 1995, and 44.2-62.2%, in the year 2000; the differences, however, being non-significant. Over five years, the percentage of infections changed significantly only in one of the districts (Kliniska), remaining constant in the other three. Basing on the distribution ofantibodies IgM, I IgG, the persisting and chronic cases were found as the dominant forms; the number of people contracting or eliminating the infection remained stable over the five-year period. Most infected patients showed antibodies against B. burgdorferi for 5 years.