Risk Factors for and Seroprevalence of Tickborne Zoonotic Diseases among Livestock Owners, Kazakhstan

• Main Authors: Jennifer R. Head, Yekaterina Bumburidi, Gulfaira Mirzabekova, Kumysbek Rakhimov, Marat Dzhumankulov, Stephanie J. Salyer, Barbara Knust, Dmitriy Berezovskiy, Mariyakul Kulatayeva, Serik Zhetibaev, Trevor Shoemaker, William L. Nicholson, Daphne Moffett
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2020-01-01
• Series: Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Subjects: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever; Q fever; Lyme disease; Coxiella burnetii; Borrelia burgdorferi; Tickborne
• Online Access: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/1/19-0220_article
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), Q fever, and Lyme disease are endemic to southern Kazakhstan, but population-based serosurveys are lacking. We assessed risk factors and seroprevalence of these zoonoses and conducted surveys for CCHF-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices in the Zhambyl region of Kazakhstan. Weighted seroprevalence for CCHF among all participants was 1.2%, increasing to 3.4% in villages with a known history of CCHF circulation. Weighted seroprevalence was 2.4% for Lyme disease and 1.3% for Q fever. We found evidence of CCHF virus circulation in areas not known to harbor the virus. We noted that activities that put persons at high risk for zoonotic or tickborne disease also were risk factors for seropositivity. However, recognition of the role of livestock in disease transmission and use of personal protective equipment when performing high-risk activities were low among participants.