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（由申请人提供）：在北卡罗来纳州，tick传播疾病代表了日益增长的公共卫生问题和对户外工人的职业危害。目前，预防tick咬需要时间消耗杀虫剂来重新涂抹衣服和裸露的皮肤。不幸的是，遵守这些程序很差。最近，已经开发了一种基于工厂的持久氯菊酯浸渍衣服的方法，该方法使衣服可以保留70多次洗涤的杀虫活性（服装的有效寿命）。该治疗过程已得到美国EPA的批准，并被归类为无毒。我们有一个小型试点项目的初步证据，表明穿着这件衣服的工人比不穿这件衣服的工人少了滴答的滴答性约90％。为了衡量这件衣服在保护户外工人方面的有效性和安全性，我们提议与北卡罗来纳州环境与自然资源部（DENR）的300名工人进行随机控制干预措施。林业司和公园和休闲司的户外工人将随机分配给两个小组。工人将以双盲的方式对其制服进行处理或进行假治疗。所有研究对象都将填写每周的滴答插图，并在样品小瓶中删除tick虫，以进行以后的物种形成和病原体检测。在入学和研究结论中得出的血清样品将用于对常见tick传播病原体的抗体。可能会记录可能与服装相关的不良事件，例如皮疹。这项研究的结果可能导致一种简单且具有成本效益的方法，可以保护户外工人免受tick虫的疾病。 公共卫生相关性：tick传染性疾病是对户外工人的主要职业危害，包括北卡罗来纳州国家环境和自然资源部的员工。该项目涉及测试持久氯菊酯处理的制服在减少北卡罗来纳州林业和公园部雇员的壁虱暴露方面的有效性。