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Prevalence and Incidence of Infection to Multiple Pathogens Found in Individuals Recreating at an Iowa Beach
Citation:
Ramudit, M., S. Augustine, AND T. Eason. Prevalence and Incidence of Infection to Multiple Pathogens Found in Individuals Recreating at an Iowa Beach. 2023 American College of Osteopathic Internist Conference, Tampa, FL, October 11 - 15, 2023.
Impact/Purpose:
This abstract is being submitted to the 2023 American College of Osteopathic Internist Conference for consideration. The work is on the prevalence and incidence of infection to multiple pathogens found in individuals recreating at an Iowa beach and helps promote the development and application of our salivary antibody multiplex immunoassay for assessing biomarkers of exposure to environmental pathogens. The assay has been used in multiple population surveillance studies and facilitates the development of risk assessments for potential future outbreaks useful for policymakers, health-practitioners, and risk-assessors in mitigating the health and financial burden posed by exposure to existing and emerging pathogens.
Description:
Background: Assessing exposures to environmentally transmitted pathogens is essential to mitigating the burden of disease globally. A prominent area of concern is the association of fecal contamination and the risk of gastrointestinal illnesses. This aimed to determine the prevalence and incidence of infection among riverine beachgoers by measuring salivary immunoglobin G (IgG) antibodies against six waterborne pathogens. Methods: Researchers selected Buffalo Shores Beach, Iowa due to potential fecal contamination as it is located downstream from multiple wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Water samples and initial saliva samples were obtained at the study site. Participants were instructed to ship samples collected on day 10 and 40 stored at -80?C and evaluated using the Application of a Microsphere-Based Salivary Antibody Multiplex Immunoassay. Samples were exposed to antigen-coupled microspheres and immunopositivity was measured on a Luminex 200™ and reported in Median Fluorescence Intensity (MFI) units. Results: The beginning of the study displayed that at least one of the targeted pathogens was exposed to nearly 80% of beachgoers. Results further indicated that while there were exposures to norovirus GI.1 (59.41%), norovirus GII.4 (58.79%) and Toxoplasma gondii (22.80%), over half (56.28%) of beachgoers showed previous exposure to multiple pathogens. Analysis of serially collected sampler resulted with 6.11% immuno-converted to one or more pathogens, largely to noroviruses (GI.1: 3.82% and GII.4: 2.29%) and T. gondii (1.53%). Conclusion: The utilization of this antibody multiplex allowed us to investigate the exposure, prevalence, and incident of infection of six waterborne pathogens among riverine beachgoers downstream from WWTPs. Analyzing the initial sample allowed us to determine these pathogens as etiological agents to previous infection and the prevalence within the subject population. The assay provides risk assessments for potential future outbreaks to be used by policymakers, health-practitioners, and risk-assessors in mitigating the health and financial burden posed by exposure to existing and emerging pathogens. Conference: American College of Osteopathic Internist Conference, October 11-15, 2023, Tampa, Florida. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views or the policies of the U.S. government.
