[Incidence of tick-borne encephalitis virus and Borrelia burgdorferi infections in farmers of the Lublin province].

The objective of the study was to evaluate the incidence of tick-borne encephalitis virus and Borrelia burgdorferi infections in farmers of the Lublin province. The study involved sero-epidemiological examinations of 242 farmers (the study group) and 50 healthy urban blood donors (the control group). In both tick-transmitted diseases, the frequency of sero-positive reactions was significantly higher in farmers than in controls. Serological examinations for the detection of tick-borne encephalitis showed 17.3% of positive results among farmers, and only 6.0% (p < 0.05) in the control group. The presence of specific antibodies IgG against Borrelia burgdorferi was observed in 15.3% of the farmers versus 4.0% (p < 0.05) in controls. In the IgM class, 14.0% of farmers showed positive reactions to B. burgdorferi, while in the control group no sero-positive reactions were noted (p < 0.01). The results of the study indicate that farmers are at increased risk of infection with zoonotic tick-transmitted diseases.