Evidence for avian influenza A infections among Iowa's agricultural workers

Gregory C Gray; Troy McCarthy; Ana W Capuano; Sharon F Setterquist; Michael C Alavanja; Charles F Lynch

doi:10.1111/j.1750-2659.2008.00041.x

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Evidence for avian influenza A infections among Iowa's agricultural workers

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Evidence for avian influenza A infections among Iowa's agricultural workers

Gregory C Gray, Troy McCarthy, Ana W Capuano, Sharon F Setterquist, Michael C Alavanja and Charles F Lynch

Influenza and other respiratory viruses, Vol.2(2), pp.61-69

03/2008

DOI: 10.1111/j.1750-2659.2008.00041.x

PMCID: PMC2568886

PMID: 18941621

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Abstract

Identifying risk factors for zoonotic influenza transmission may aid public health officials in pandemic influenza planning. We sought to evaluate rural Iowan agriculture workers exposed to poultry for previous evidence of avian influenza virus infection. In 2004 we enrolled 803 rural adult Iowans in a 2-year prospective study of zoonotic influenza transmission. Their enrollment data and sera were compared with those from 66 adult controls enrolled at the University of Iowa in 2006 by proportional odds modeling. The 803 participants were 58.8% male with a mean age of 55.6 yrs. Forty-eight percent reported previous poultry exposure. Sera were studied by microneutralization techniques for antibodies against avian H4, H5, H6, H7, and H9 viruses. Touching live birds was associated (OR = 1.2; 95% CI 1.02-1.8) with increased antibody titer against H5 virus. Similarly, participants who reported hunting wild birds had increased antibody titers against H7 virus (OR = 2.8; 95%CI = 1.2-6.5) and subjects who reported recent work with poultry had increased antibody titers against H6 (OR = 3.4; 95% CI 1.4-8.5) and H7 viruses (OR = 2.5, 95% CI = 1.1-5.7). There was no evidence of elevated antibody against avian H4 or H9 viruses. These data suggest that hunting and exposure to poultry may be important risk factors for avian influenza virus infection among rural US populations. Agriculture workers should be included in influenza pandemic plans.

Prospective Studies

Poultry

Humans

Middle Aged

Occupational Exposure

Birds

Influenza in Birds - transmission

Male

Seroepidemiologic Studies

Influenza in Birds - epidemiology

Antibodies, Viral - blood

Zoonoses - transmission

Zoonoses - virology

Young Adult

Animals

Rural Population

Adolescent

Aged, 80 and over

Adult

Female

Influenza, Human - virology

Iowa - epidemiology

Aged

Agriculture

Details

Title: Subtitle: Evidence for avian influenza A infections among Iowa's agricultural workers
Creators: Gregory C Gray - Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Epidemiology at the University of Iowa's College of Public Health, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. gregory-gray@uiowa.edu
Troy McCarthy
Ana W Capuano
Sharon F Setterquist
Michael C Alavanja
Charles F Lynch
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Influenza and other respiratory viruses, Vol.2(2), pp.61-69
Publisher: England
DOI: 10.1111/j.1750-2659.2008.00041.x
PMID: 18941621
PMCID: PMC2568886
ISSN: 1750-2640
eISSN: 1750-2659
Grant note: R21 AI059214 / NIAID NIH HHS R21 AI059214-01 / NIAID NIH HHS R21 AI059214-02 / NIAID NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 03/2008
Academic Unit: Epidemiology
Record Identifier: 9983995101102771

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