Preventing exposure to ticks and tick-borne illness in outdoor workers

预防户外工作人员接触蜱虫和蜱传疾病

• 批准号: 7946571
• 负责人: Steven Richard Meshnick
• 金额: $ 30.15万
• 依托单位: UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-09-01 至 2014-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7946571
• 关键词: Preventing; exposure; ticks; tick; borne

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In North Carolina, tick-borne diseases represent a growing public health problem and an occupational hazard for outdoor workers. Currently, tick-bite prevention requires time- consuming reapplication of insecticides to clothing and exposed skin. Unfortunately, adherence to these procedures is poor. Recently, a factory-based method for long- lasting permethrin impregnation of clothing has been developed which allows clothing to retain insecticidal activity for over 70 washes (the effective lifetime of a garment). The treatment process has been approved by the US EPA and classified as non-toxic. We have preliminary evidence from a small pilot project suggesting that workers wearing this clothing have ~90% fewer tick bites than workers not wearing this clothing. In order to measure the effectiveness and safety of this clothing in protecting outdoor workers, we are proposing a randomized controlled intervention with 300 workers in the NC State Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR). Outdoor workers in the Division of Forestry and the Division of Parks and Recreation will be randomly assigned to two groups. Workers will have their uniforms treated or sham-treated in a double- blinded manner. All study subjects will fill out weekly tick logs, and keep removed ticks in specimen vials for later speciation and pathogen detection. Serum samples, drawn at enrollment and study conclusion will be titered for antibody to common tick-borne pathogens. Possible clothing-related adverse events, such as rashes, will be recorded. The results of this study could lead to a simple and cost-effective method of protecting outdoor workers from tick-borne illnesses. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Tick-borne infectious diseases are a major occupational hazard for outdoor workers, including employees of the North Carolina State Department of Environment and Natural Resources. This project involves testing the effectiveness of long-lasting permethrin- treated uniforms in reducing tick exposures in North Carolina Forestry and Parks Department employees.

描述(申请人提供)：在北卡罗来纳州，壁虱传播的疾病是一个日益严重的公共卫生问题，也是户外工作者的职业危害。目前，预防扁虱叮咬需要耗时地在衣服和暴露的皮肤上重新使用杀虫剂。不幸的是，遵守这些程序的情况很差。最近，一种以工厂为基础的氯菊酯浸渍衣物的方法已经被开发出来，该方法允许衣物保持杀虫活性超过70次洗涤(衣物的有效寿命)。该处理过程已获得美国环保局的批准，并被归类为无毒。我们有一个小规模试点项目的初步证据表明，穿这种衣服的工人比不穿这种衣服的工人被虱子叮咬的次数少约90%。为了衡量这种服装在保护户外工作人员方面的有效性和安全性，我们提议对北卡罗来纳州环境和自然资源部(DENR)的300名工作人员进行随机对照干预。林业部和公园和康乐部的户外工作者将被随机分配到两组。工人们将以双盲的方式对待或假冒他们的制服。所有研究对象都将填写每周的扁虱记录，并将取出的扁虱保存在标本瓶中，以供以后进行物种鉴定和病原体检测。在登记时抽取的血清样本和研究结论将用于滴定对常见壁虱传播病原体的抗体。可能与衣物有关的不良事件，如皮疹，将被记录下来。这项研究的结果可能会导致一种简单而具成本效益的方法来保护户外工作者免受扁虱传播的疾病的影响。 公共卫生相关性：壁虱传播的传染病是户外工作人员的主要职业危害，包括北卡罗来纳州环境和自然资源部的员工。该项目涉及测试经氯氰菊酯处理的长效制服在减少北卡罗来纳州林业和公园部门员工扁虱暴露方面的有效性。