{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,2]],"date-time":"2025-09-02T18:40:05Z","timestamp":1756838405593,"version":"3.44.0"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,2]],"date-time":"2025-09-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1756771200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"North Carolina Collaboratory"},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100006108","name":"National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2KR27005; 550KR242003"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2KR27005; 550KR242003"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100006108","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000009","name":"Foundation for the National Institutes of Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UL1TR002489"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UL1TR002489"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000009","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000009","name":"Foundation for the National Institutes of Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["U54 CA260543"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["U54 CA260543"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000009","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100006492","name":"Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["R01-AI151295"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R01-AI151295"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100006492","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosglobalpublichealth.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLOS Glob Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Workers in food processing industries are subject to many occupational health risks and disparities, but little is known about their risk of tickborne diseases. We examined a cohort of Latino individuals working in the meat packing, produce processing, and farming industries and their family members in central North Carolina, where incidence of tickborne infections is high. Blood samples were tested for IgG antibodies against Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis (SFGR) and <jats:italic><jats:italic>Ehrlichia chaffeensis<\/jats:italic><\/jats:italic>. Covariates of interest included age, sex, primary language, work industry, indoor vs. outdoor work, home characteristics, medical comorbidities, and travel history. Among 201 Latino food processing workers and their family members, the seroprevalence of SFGR and <jats:italic><jats:italic>Ehrlichia<\/jats:italic><\/jats:italic> was 14.9% and 19.9%, respectively. Almost a third of participants were seropositive for at least one infection. SFGR seropositive individuals were significantly older than seronegative individuals (median 45 [interquartile range 35\u201355] vs. 33 [14\u201345] years, p\u2009&lt;\u20090.001), while <jats:italic><jats:italic>Ehrlichia<\/jats:italic><\/jats:italic> seropositivity appeared to have a bimodal distribution by age, with peaks in children under age 10 and adults in their forties and fifties. Farm workers had higher seroprevalence of SFGR (25.0%) than other workers (13.5%), although this did not reach statistical significance (p\u2009=\u20090.13). Having a seropositive household member for either infection was a risk factor for seropositivity for the same infection, adjusted for age and household clustering (adjusted OR [aOR] 8.26, 95% CI [confidence interval] 3.27-20.90 for SFGR; aOR 11.24, 95% CI 4.24-29.80 for <jats:italic><jats:italic>Ehrlichia<\/jats:italic><\/jats:italic>). Seroprevalence for SFGR and <jats:italic><jats:italic>Ehrlichia<\/jats:italic><\/jats:italic> was similar between index workers and household members when adjusted for age. Our findings indicate that Latino food processing communities in North Carolina have high exposure to tickborne disease, and older age and having seropositive household members are key risk factors.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pgph.0005116","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,2]],"date-time":"2025-09-02T18:00:09Z","timestamp":1756836009000},"page":"e0005116","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pgph.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Seroprevalence of spotted fever rickettsiosis and ehrlichiosis among food processing workers and their families in Latino communities in North Carolina"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"5","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9423-8399","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Melissa K.","family":"Cutshaw","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Michael","family":"Sciaudone","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Brenda","family":"Vasquez-Martinez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Colleen M.","family":"McClean","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Oksana","family":"Kharabora","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Katherine","family":"Murray","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Stephen","family":"Strohminger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Miriana Moreno","family":"Zivanovich","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rachel","family":"Gurnett","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Emperatriz Morales","family":"Salgado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9489-6324","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Ross M.","family":"Boyce","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4260-8009","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Natalie M.","family":"Bowman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"pgph.0005116.ref001","unstructured":"Statistics. BoL. National census of fatal occupational injuries in 2022. 2023. Available from: https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/news.release\/pdf\/cfoi.pdf"},{"key":"pgph.0005116.ref002","unstructured":"Chappelear K. Essential Farm Workers Briefing Book. 2020. Available from: https:\/\/bioethics.jhu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Essential-Farm-Workers-Briefing-Book-1.pdf"},{"key":"pgph.0005116.ref003","unstructured":"Long AB. Essential Meat Processing Workers Briefing Book. 2020. Available from: https:\/\/bioethics.jhu.edu\/essential"},{"issue":"2","key":"pgph.0005116.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"153","DOI":"10.1353\/hpu.2010.0790","article-title":"Health issues of migrant and seasonal farmworkers","volume":"14","author":"E Hansen","year":"2003","journal-title":"J Health Care Poor Underserved"},{"issue":"27","key":"pgph.0005116.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"887","DOI":"10.15585\/mmwr.mm6927e2","article-title":"Update: COVID-19 among workers in meat and poultry processing facilities - United States, April-May 2020","volume":"69","author":"MA Waltenburg","year":"2020","journal-title":"Morb Mortal Wkly Rep"},{"key":"pgph.0005116.ref006","unstructured":"Winny A. Tickborne Diseases Are on the Rise\u2014Here\u2019s What To Know. 2023. Available from: https:\/\/publichealth.jhu.edu\/2023\/lyme-disease-isnt-the-only-tickborne-disease-to-watch#:~:text=The%20annual%20number%20of%20tickborne,improved%20tracking%20of%20these%20diseases%20"},{"issue":"2","key":"pgph.0005116.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1002\/hsr2.509","article-title":"Tick magnets: The occupational risk of tick-borne disease exposure in forestry workers in New York","volume":"5","author":"A Roome","year":"2022","journal-title":"Health Sci Rep"},{"issue":"5","key":"pgph.0005116.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"302","DOI":"10.1089\/vbz.2015.1887","article-title":"Incident Tick-Borne Infections in a Cohort of North Carolina Outdoor Workers","volume":"16","author":"JW Wallace","year":"2016","journal-title":"Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis"},{"key":"pgph.0005116.ref009","unstructured":"CDC. Tickborne Diseases of the United States: A Reference Manual for Healthcare Providers. 2022. Available from: https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/ticks\/tickbornediseases\/TickborneDiseases-P.pdf"},{"key":"pgph.0005116.ref010","unstructured":"North Carolina Division of Public Health CDB. Vector Borne Disease Surveillance Summaries 2020. 2020. Available from: https:\/\/epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov\/cd\/vector\/VectorBorneDiseaseSurveillanceSummaries2020.pdf"},{"key":"pgph.0005116.ref011","volume-title":"USDA\u2019s National Agricultural Statistics Service: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention","year":"2022"},{"key":"pgph.0005116.ref012","unstructured":"Network NFA. About Farmworkers. 2024. Available from: https:\/\/ncfan.org\/resources\/about-farmworkers\/"},{"issue":"7","key":"pgph.0005116.ref013","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pgph.0000619","article-title":"SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and risk factors among meat packing, produce processing, and farm workers","volume":"2","author":"MD Klein","year":"2022","journal-title":"PLOS Glob Public Health"},{"key":"pgph.0005116.ref014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"164","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijregi.2023.03.010","article-title":"Seroepidemiology and risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection among household members of food processing and farm workers in North Carolina","volume":"7","author":"M Sciaudone","year":"2023","journal-title":"IJID Reg"},{"issue":"2","key":"pgph.0005116.ref015","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"319","DOI":"10.1093\/infdis\/jiae028","article-title":"Changes in the Seroprevalence of Tick-Borne Rickettsia and Ehrlichia Among Soldiers\u2014Fort Liberty, North Carolina, 1991\u20132019","volume":"230","author":"EM Rockwell","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Infect Dis"},{"key":"pgph.0005116.ref016","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1093\/ofid\/ofad500.1638","article-title":"Seroprevalence of tick-borne diseases including alpha-gal allergy and associations with musculoskeletal symptoms in a population-based cohort in central North Carolina","volume":"10","author":"D Zychowski","year":"2023","journal-title":"Open Forum Infect Dis"},{"issue":"3","key":"pgph.0005116.ref017","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"478","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph15030478","article-title":"Range Expansion of Tick Disease Vectors in North America: Implications for Spread of Tick-Borne Disease","volume":"15","author":"DE Sonenshine","year":"2018","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"pgph.0005116.ref018","unstructured":"CDC. Ehrlichiosis. Epidemiology and Statistics. 2022. Available from: https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/ehrlichiosis\/index.html"},{"key":"pgph.0005116.ref019","unstructured":"CDC. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Epidemiology and Statistics. 2024. Available from: https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/rmsf\/stats\/index.html"},{"issue":"1","key":"pgph.0005116.ref020","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"52","DOI":"10.4269\/ajtmh.15-0540","article-title":"Increasing Incidence of Ehrlichiosis in the United States: A Summary of National Surveillance of Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Ehrlichia ewingii Infections in the United States, 2008\u20132012","volume":"94","author":"KN Heitman","year":"2016","journal-title":"Am J Trop Med Hygiene"},{"issue":"10","key":"pgph.0005116.ref021","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"737","DOI":"10.3855\/jidc.2189","article-title":"Rocky Mountain spotted fever in Panama: a cluster description","volume":"5","author":"M Tribaldos","year":"2011","journal-title":"J Infect Dev Ctries"},{"issue":"4","key":"pgph.0005116.ref022","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"853","DOI":"10.1086\/515213","article-title":"Family cluster of Rocky Mountain spotted fever","volume":"28","author":"TF Jones","year":"1999","journal-title":"Clin Infect Dis"},{"issue":"19","key":"pgph.0005116.ref023","first-page":"407","article-title":"Fatal cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in family clusters--three states, 2003","volume":"53","author":"(CDC) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention","year":"2004","journal-title":"MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep"},{"issue":"7","key":"pgph.0005116.ref024","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"420","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJM199508173330704","article-title":"Ehrlichiosis in a golf-oriented retirement community","volume":"333","author":"SM Standaert","year":"1995","journal-title":"N Engl J Med"},{"issue":"1","key":"pgph.0005116.ref025","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"33","DOI":"10.1186\/s13071-023-06099-z","article-title":"Eco-epidemiology of Rickettsia amblyommatis and Rickettsia parkeri in naturally infected ticks (Acari: Ixodida) from South Carolina","volume":"17","author":"L Gual-Gonzalez","year":"2024","journal-title":"Parasit Vectors"},{"key":"pgph.0005116.ref026","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"607","DOI":"10.1186\/s13071-014-0607-2","article-title":"Prevalence of Rickettsiales in ticks removed from the skin of outdoor workers in North Carolina","volume":"7","author":"S Lee","year":"2014","journal-title":"Parasit Vectors"},{"issue":"1","key":"pgph.0005116.ref027","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"74","DOI":"10.1111\/zph.12369","article-title":"Pet ownership increases human risk of encountering ticks","volume":"65","author":"EH Jones","year":"2018","journal-title":"Zoonoses Public Health"},{"issue":"2","key":"pgph.0005116.ref028","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"319","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ttbdis.2017.11.006","article-title":"Risk factors for tick exposure in suburban settings in the Northeastern United States","volume":"9","author":"P Mead","year":"2018","journal-title":"Ticks Tick Borne Dis"},{"issue":"1","key":"pgph.0005116.ref029","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"112","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ttbdis.2016.10.006","article-title":"Exposure and preventive behaviours toward ticks and Lyme disease in Canada: Results from a first national survey","volume":"8","author":"C Aenishaenslin","year":"2017","journal-title":"Ticks Tick Borne Dis"}],"container-title":["PLOS Global Public Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pgph.0005116","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,2]],"date-time":"2025-09-02T18:00:14Z","timestamp":1756836014000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pgph.0005116"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Julia","family":"Robinson","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"editor","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,2]]},"references-count":29,"journal-issue":{"issue":"9","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,2]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pgph.0005116","relation":{},"ISSN":["2767-3375"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2767-3375","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,2]]}}}