Serological Measurement of Montpellier Professionals' Contacts with Infectious Agents Responsible for Animal-borne Diseases

Brucellosis, Chikungunya Virus Infection, Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever Virus, Dengue Virus, Hantaviral Infection Nos, Hepatitis E, Leishmaniasis, Leptospirosis, Lyme Disease, Psittacosis, Q Fever, Rickettsiosis, Tick-borne Encephalitis, Toscana Virus, Tularemia, Usutu Virus, West Nile Virus, Zika Virus

Leishmaniasis,, Leptospirosis, Brucellosis, Zika virus, Q fever, Rickettsiosis, Lyme disease, Tick-borne encephaliti, Hantavirus, Hepatitis E virus, Dengue virus, Chikungunya virus, West-Nile virus, Usutu virus, Toscana virus, Tularemia, Psittacosis, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus, epidemiology

Zoonoses and arboviroses refer to a group of diseases transmitted from animals to humans, either directly or indirectly (via mosquitoes, ticks or contact with contaminated environments). Most of these diseases are found in certain tropical zones, but global warming and increased international trade are modifying their geographical distribution, with a gradual trend towards temperate regions. A number of these pathogens have already been detected in Occitania, including dengue fever, West Nile, leishmaniasis and Q fever. Given the region's high mosquito population and favorable climatic conditions, other zoonoses have a strong potential to appear in the region, or may already be circulating at a low level. The study focuses on 18 pathogens selected for their potential to emerge and establish themselves in the Occitanie region: Leishmaniasis, Leptospirosis, Brucellosis, Q fever, Rickettsiosis, Tularemia, Psittacosis, Lyme disease, Tick-borne encephalitis, Hantavirus, Hepatitis E virus, Dengue virus, Zika virus, Chikungunya virus, West-Nile virus, Usutu virus, Toscana virus, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus. The aim of the study is to find out whether patients have antibodies against these infectious agents, which would indicate that they have been exposed to them in the past, even in the absence of symptoms. Describing the circulation of these pathogens will enable to implement appropriate public health measures to avoid the risk of epidemics (mosquito control, informing professionals, etc.), as well as to assess the risk incurred in the workplace and have this risk recognized by the healthcare system.

Current environmental changes are influencing the epidemiology of zoonoses, which account for over 75% of emerging infections, with the Mediterranean region being a high-risk area. The proposed study focuses on occupational zoonoses, that is, those that can be contracted in the workplace, through direct contact with animals or exposure to their environment. Some of these zoonoses are recognized and compensable as occupational diseases (OD), while for others, the onus is on the employee to prove the origin of the contamination. The advantages of studying this population are threefold: i) to document occupational risk and improve management and prevention practices in this context, ii) to use this sentinel population - when many of these zoonoses are emerging - to anticipate risks for the less-exposed general population, iii) in the event of the discovery of a positive serology for an infectious agent considered non-circulating in the Occitanie region, to improve the management of symptomatic patients by raising awareness of differential diagnosis. For the purposes of this study, the zoonoses recognized as occupational diseases are: Mediterranean spotted fever, Lyme borreliosis, tularemia, Q fever, brucellosis, psittacosis, hepatitis E and leptospirosis. Although not recognized as occupational diseases, leishmaniasis, hantaviruses, dengue fever, zika, chikungunya, West Nile virus, Usutu, Toscana, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever and tick-borne encephalitis are of particular interest to workers exposed to these diseases, and are also included in the study. Few data are currently available on the actual rate of circulation of these pathogens in the population of occupationally exposed workers, and none in Occitanie. These outdoor workers also represent a sentinel population, due to their increased exposure, so obtaining precise seroprevalence data in these groups would enable the researchers to anticipate the emergence of these pathogens in the general population in the near future, and to diagnose them individually.

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