Detection of the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) in ticks in several federal “Länder” of Germany by means of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) — Characterization of the virus

Süß, Jochen; Béziat, Patrizia; Rohr, H. P.; Treib, J.; Haaß, A.

doi:10.1007/bf01716096

Cited by 19 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…This investigation provides further direct evidence of TBEV in Brandenburg (northeastern Germany) and is in line with case reports on human TBE patients in Brandenburg (Sü ss et al 1996, Becker et al 2006, RKI 2009. Further, the results demonstrate that TBEV is endemic in Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt, federal states that have not been previously classified as risk areas.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Rodents as Sentinels for the Prevalence of Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus

Achazi

Růžek

Donoso-Mantke

et al. 2011

Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

113

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Introduction: Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) causes one of the most important flavivirus infections of the central nervous system, affecting humans in Europe and Asia. It is mainly transmitted by the bite of an infected tick and circulates among them and their vertebrate hosts. Until now, TBE risk analysis in Germany has been based on the incidence of human cases. Because of an increasing vaccination rate, this approach might be misleading, especially in regions of low virus circulation. Method: To test the suitability of rodents as a surrogate marker for virus spread, laboratory-bred Microtus arvalis voles were experimentally infected with TBEV and analyzed over a period of 100 days by real-time (RT)-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Further, the prevalence of TBEV in rodents trapped in Brandenburg, a rural federal state in northeastern Germany with autochthonous TBE cases, was determined and compared with that in rodents from German TBE risk areas as well as TBE nonrisk areas. Results: In experimentally infected M. arvalis voles, TBEV was detectable in different organs for at least 3 months and in blood for 1 month. Ten percent of all rodents investigated were positive for TBEV. However, in TBE risk areas, the infection rate was higher compared with that of areas with only single human cases or of nonrisk areas. TBEV was detected in six rodent species: Apodemus agrarius, Apodemus flavicollis, Apodemus sylvaticus, Microtus agrestis, Microtus arvalis, and Myodes glareolus. M. glareolus showed a high infection rate in all areas investigated. Discussion and Conclusion: The infection experiments proved that TBEV can be reliably detected in infected M. arvalis voles. These voles developed a persistent TBE infection without clinical symptoms. Further, the study showed that rodents, especially M. glareolus, are promising sentinels particularly in areas of low TBEV circulation.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Rodents as Sentinels for the Prevalence of Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus

Achazi

Růžek

Donoso-Mantke

et al. 2011

Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

113

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“…Our literature review identified 15 full articles, and six abstracts published only in conference proceedings. As two full papers and four abstracts repeated data published elsewhere, 15 studies were included in the present overview (Ramelow et al., 1993; Süss et al., 1996, 2004, 2006; Cisak et al., 2002; Holbach and Oehme, 2002; Oehme et al., 2002; Pietsch et al., 2002; Frimmel et al., 2010; Klaus et al., 2010; Kondrusik et al., 2010; Kubica‐Biernat et al., 2010; Kupča et al., 2010; Dobler et al., 2011; Wójcik‐Fatla et al., 2011). Over 50 000 ticks were tested in the identified studies.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Virus Detection in Questing Ticks is not a Sensitive Indicator for Risk Assessment of Tick‐Borne Encephalitis in Humans

Stefanoff

Pfeffer

Hellenbrand

et al. 2012

Zoonoses and Public Health

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Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is the most important tick-transmitted arbovirus causing human disease in Europe, but information on its endemic occurrence varies between countries because of differences in surveillance systems. Objective data are necessary to ascertain the disease risk for vaccination recommendations and other public health interventions. In two independent, separately planned projects, we used real-time RT-PCR to detect TBE virus in questing ticks. In Poland, 32 sampling sites were selected in 10 administrative districts located in regions where sporadic TBE cases were reported. In Germany, 18 sampling sites were selected in two districts located in a region with high TBE incidence. Altogether, >16,000 ticks were tested by real-time RT-PCR, with no sample testing positive for TBEV. A systematic search for published studies on TBEV prevalence in ticks in Poland and Germany also suggested that testing large numbers of collected ticks could not consistently assure virus detection in known endemic foci. Although assignment of results to administrative regions is essential for TBE risk mapping, this was possible in only 10 (investigating 22,417 ticks) of 15 published studies (>50,000 ticks) identified. We conclude that the collection and screening of ticks by real-time RT-PCR cannot be recommended for assessment of human TBE risk. Alternative methods of environmental TBEV monitoring should be considered, such as serological monitoring of rodents or other wildlife.

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“…In 1992, Süss et al analyzed 18,760 unengorged ticks subdivided into 260 pools using n-RT-PCR and southern blot hybridization. Two tick pools from the Darss peninsula (near the villages Ahrenshoop and Müggenburg) and three tick pools from the island of Usedom (the villages Ahlbeck, Schmollensee, and Koserow) were found to be TBEV-positive, and one sequence was published (IZ-11/92) [14, 16, 21] (Figure 1). In the aftermath of this study over 16,000 ticks were collected between 1993 and 2003 but none was found to be TBEV-positive, leading to the assumption that natural foci were extinct or only present at an extremely low level of activity (Health Department of the State of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, unpublished data) [17].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus Habitats in North East Germany: Reemergence of TBEV in Ticks after 15 Years of Inactivity

Frimmel

Krienke

Riebold

et al. 2014

BioMed Research International

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The incidence of tick-borne encephalitis has risen in Europe since 1990 and the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) has been documented to be spreading into regions where it was not previously endemic. In Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, a federal state in Northern Germany, TBEV was not detectable in over 16,000 collected ticks between 1992 and 2004. Until 2004, the last human case of TBE in the region was reported in 1985. Following the occurrence of three autochthonous human cases of TBE after 2004, however, we collected ticks from the areas in which the infections were contracted. To increase the chance of detecting TBEV-RNA, some of the ticks were fed on mice. Using nested RT-PCR, we were able to confirm the presence of TBEV in ticks for the first time after 15 years. A phylogenetic analysis revealed a close relationship between the sequences we obtained and a TBEV sequence from Mecklenburg-East Pomerania published in 1992 and pointed to the reemergence of a natural focus of TBEV after years of low activity. Our results imply that natural foci of TBEV may either persist at low levels of activity for years or reemerge through the agency of migrating birds.

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Detection of the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) in ticks in several federal “Länder” of Germany by means of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) — Characterization of the virus

Cited by 19 publications

References 3 publications

Rodents as Sentinels for the Prevalence of Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus

Rodents as Sentinels for the Prevalence of Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus

Virus Detection in Questing Ticks is not a Sensitive Indicator for Risk Assessment of Tick‐Borne Encephalitis in Humans

Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus Habitats in North East Germany: Reemergence of TBEV in Ticks after 15 Years of Inactivity

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