Exposure to
            <i>Phlebotomus perniciosus</i>
            sandfly vectors is positively associated with Toscana virus and
            <i>Leishmania infantum</i>
            infection in human blood donors in Murcia Region, southeast Spain

Ortuño, María; Muñoz, Clara; Spitzová, Tatiana; Sumova, Petra; Iborra, M. Asunción; Pérez‐Cutillas, Pedro; Ayhan, Nazlı; Charrel, Rémi N.; Volf, Petr; Berriatua, E.

doi:10.1111/tbed.14520

Cited by 10 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 99 publications

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“…While there are no data on the percentage of infected sand flies in this endemic area, it is tempting to speculate that this might result in high levels of parasite transmission. Indeed, previous studies showed that levels of anti-saliva antibodies are a marker of Leishmania transmission in dogs (66) or humans (67). Quinnell et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Demographic characteristics and prevalence of asymptomaticLeishmania donovaniinfection in migrant workers working in an endemic area in Northwest Ethiopia

Yimer,

Takele,

Yizengaw

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a neglected tropical disease that causes substantial morbidity and mortality, is a serious health problem in Ethiopia. Infections are caused byLeishmania(L.)donovaniparasites. Most individuals remain asymptomatic, but some develop VL, which is fatal if not treated.We identified the area of Metema-Humera in Northwest Ethiopia as a setting in which we could follow migrant workers when they arrived in an endemic area. The demographic characteristics of this population and factors associated with their risk of asymptomatic infection are poorly characterised. We divided our cohort into individuals who visited this area for the first time (first comers, FC) and those who had already been in this area (repeat comers, RC). We followed them from the beginning (Time 1, T1) to the end of the agricultural season (Time 2, T2), performing tests for sand fly bite exposure (anti-sand fly saliva antibody ELISA) and serology forLeishmaniainfection (rK39 rapid diagnostic test and the direct agglutination test) at each time point and collecting information on risk factors for infection.Our results show that most migrant workers come from non-endemic areas, are male, young (median age of 20 years) and are farmers or students.At T1, >80% of them had been already exposed to sand fly bites, as shown by the presence of anti-saliva antibodies. However, due to seasonality of sand flies there was no difference in exposure between FC and RC, or between T1 and T2. The serology data showed that at T1, but not at T2, a significantly higher proportion of RC were asymptomatic. Furthermore, 28.6% of FC became asymptomatic between T1 and T2. Over the duration of this study, one FC and one RC developed VL.In multivariable logistic regression of asymptomatic infection at T1, only age and the number of visits to Metema/Humera were significantly associated with asymptomatic infection.A better understanding of the dynamics of parasite transmission and the risk factors associated with the development of asymptomatic infections and potentially VL will be essential for the development of new strategies to prevent leishmaniasis.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Demographic characteristics and prevalence of asymptomaticLeishmania donovaniinfection in migrant workers working in an endemic area in Northwest Ethiopia

Yimer,

Takele,

Yizengaw

et al. 2024

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Demographic characteristics and prevalence of asymptomatic Leishmania donovani infection in migrant workers working in an endemic area in Northwest Ethiopia

Yimer,

Takele,

Yizengaw

et al. 2024

Front. Epidemiol.

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IntroductionVisceral leishmaniasis (VL), a neglected tropical disease that causes substantial morbidity and mortality, is a serious health problem in Ethiopia. Infections are caused by Leishmania (L.) donovani parasites. Most individuals remain asymptomatic, but some develop VL, which is generally fatal if not treated. We identified the area of Metema-Humera in Northwest Ethiopia as a setting in which we could follow migrant workers when they arrived in an endemic area. The demographic characteristics of this population and factors associated with their risk of asymptomatic infection are poorly characterised.MethodsWe divided our cohort into individuals who visited this area for the first time (first comers, FC) and those who had already been in this area (repeat comers, RC). We followed them from the beginning (Time 1, T1) to the end of the agricultural season (Time 2, T2), performing tests for sand fly bite exposure (anti-sand fly saliva antibody ELISA) and serology for Leishmania infection (rK39 rapid diagnostic test and the direct agglutination test) at each time point and collecting information on risk factors for infection.ResultsOur results show that most migrant workers come from non-endemic areas, are male, young (median age of 20 years) and are farmers or students. At T1, >80% of them had been already exposed to sand fly bites, as shown by the presence of anti-saliva antibodies. However, due to seasonality of sand flies there was no difference in exposure between FC and RC, or between T1 and T2. The serology data showed that at T1, but not at T2, a significantly higher proportion of RC were asymptomatic. Furthermore, 28.6% of FC became asymptomatic between T1 and T2. Over the duration of this study, one FC and one RC developed VL. In multivariable logistic regression of asymptomatic infection at T1, only age and the number of visits to Metema/Humera were significantly associated with asymptomatic infection.ConclusionA better understanding of the dynamics of parasite transmission and the risk factors associated with the development of asymptomatic infections and potentially VL will be essential for the development of new strategies to prevent leishmaniasis.

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“…These studies not only used different serological techniques (IFAT and Direct Agglutination Test [DAT], respectively), but also analyzed different populations (dog owners and outpatients in a tertiary hospital, respectively). In neighboring Spain, regional seroprevalence studies in blood donors have shown values between 1.3 and 7.9% [ 9 , 12 , 31 – 34 ]. The range of values of true seroprevalence estimated in the present study was similar to these Spanish studies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Serological techniques were often used to identify asymptomatic infection, and, in humans, target populations have frequently been blood donors, due to ease of access to samples and a higher confidence of the asymptomatic status, since blood donation is usually only permitted after strict symptom and behavior triage by health professionals and exclusion of anemia. In Spain, seroprevalence studies among the general population and blood donors have shown values between 1 and 8%, depending on the region [ 9 , 12 ]. Factors associated with higher asymptomatic prevalence included older age, male sex, dog tutorship, contact with livestock (either at home or in the environment), living in rural communities, and living in a detached house [ 9 , 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of asymptomatic Leishmania infection and knowledge, perceptions, and practices in blood donors in mainland Portugal

Rocha,

Gonçalves,

Conceição

et al. 2023

Parasites Vectors

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Background Asymptomatic infection is the most common outcome of exposure to Leishmania parasites. In the Mediterranean region, where Leishmania infantum is endemic, studies on the prevalence of asymptomatic infection have often relied on serological testing in blood donors. In Spain, regional studies have shown seroprevalence in blood donors between 1 and 8%; in Portugal, values of 0 and 2% were suggested by two localized studies, in different populations. The purpose of this study was (i) to estimate the prevalence of asymptomatic Leishmania infection in blood donors in mainland Portugal, and (ii) to study the association between the detection of antibodies to Leishmania and sociodemographic factors, and also the knowledge, perceptions and practices (KPP) of the blood donors regarding leishmaniasis. Methods A cross-sectional study targeted the population of people who donated blood in mainland Portugal. Participants, distributed proportionally by municipality and aged between 18 and 65 years, were selected randomly in 347 blood collection points between February and June 2022, and completed a sociodemographic and a KPP questionnaire. Detection of anti-Leishmania antibodies in serum was performed using an ELISA commercial kit. Individual KPP scores were calculated by adding grades defined for each question. Results Globally, 201/3763 samples were positive. The estimated national true seroprevalence was 4.8% (95% CI 4.1–5.5%). The proportion of positive results was significantly different between NUTS (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics) regions. Models suggested that seropositivity was significantly higher in male sex, people older than 25 years, or residing in the Centro NUTS2 region, but not in dog owners nor people with lower KPP scores. Overall, 72.3% of participants had previously heard of leishmaniasis and, in multivariate analysis, a higher Knowledge score was associated with age 25–40 years, female sex, ownership of dogs, and higher education. Conclusions Global estimated true seroprevalence (4.8%) was similar to previous regional studies in blood donors in neighboring Spain. Higher seroprevalence values in the NUTS2 Centro region were consistent with incidence data from humans and seroprevalence studies in dogs. On the other hand, the low values in the Alentejo and the high values in the northern subregions may be the result of geographical shifts in parasite circulation due to climate change and should prompt localized and integrated, vector, canine, and human research, following a One Health approach. Graphical Abstract

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Exposure to Phlebotomus perniciosus sandfly vectors is positively associated with Toscana virus and Leishmania infantum infection in human blood donors in Murcia Region, southeast Spain

Cited by 10 publications

References 99 publications

Demographic characteristics and prevalence of asymptomaticLeishmania donovaniinfection in migrant workers working in an endemic area in Northwest Ethiopia

Demographic characteristics and prevalence of asymptomaticLeishmania donovaniinfection in migrant workers working in an endemic area in Northwest Ethiopia

Demographic characteristics and prevalence of asymptomatic Leishmania donovani infection in migrant workers working in an endemic area in Northwest Ethiopia

Prevalence of asymptomatic Leishmania infection and knowledge, perceptions, and practices in blood donors in mainland Portugal

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