Understanding Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus Foci, a Tale of Two Mountains

Cabezas-Cruz, Alejandro; Banović, Pavle

doi:10.3390/pathogens12020265

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…However, moderate TBEV neutralizing reaction was registered in the serum from one person from North Macedonia previously infested by a tick. Although the climate of North Macedonia is dominantly sub-Mediterranean, the existence of many mountainous areas may facilitate emergence of a stable TBEV-supporting ecosystem [ 19 ]. There is a chance that this person was exposed to the virus when entering TBEV foci within North Macedonia, or during a short-term stay in Austria 8 years ago.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, the incidence rate is strongly dependent on national diagnostic guidelines and diagnostic resources [ 18 ]. TBEV foci can appear and disappear in different regions over time [ 19 ]. Despite the presence of TBEV-infected ticks in various locations in Serbia [ 20 ], no TBEV-positive ticks have been reported in North Macedonia to date.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus and Borrelia burgdorferi Seroprevalence in Balkan Tick-Infested Individuals: A Two-Centre Study

et al. 2023

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Lyme borreliosis (LB) and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) are important tick-borne diseases in Europe. This study aimed to investigate the seroreactivity against Borrelia burgdorferi and TBE virus (TBEV) in tick-infested individuals in North Macedonia and Serbia. Serum samples were collected from tick-infested individuals and from healthy individuals in the same regions. Samples were tested for anti-Borrelia IgG reactivity and TBEV-neutralizing antibodies. Results showed higher seroreactivity against Borrelia antigens in patients and healthy donors from Novi Sad compared to those from the Skopje region. However, there was no statistically significant difference between tick-infested patients and healthy donors within each region. No TBEV-neutralizing antibodies were detected in participants from Novi Sad or in the control groups, except for one person from North Macedonia who had a moderate TBEV-neutralizing reaction. The study highlights the need for improved surveillance and diagnostic capabilities for LB and TBE in these regions. It also suggests the potential existence of TBEV foci in North Macedonia. The findings provide a complementary understanding of the LB and TBE epidemiology in the studied regions; however, further research is needed to investigate the presence and distribution of Borrelia spp. and TBEV in ticks to assess the significance of detected seroreactivity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus and Borrelia burgdorferi Seroprevalence in Balkan Tick-Infested Individuals: A Two-Centre Study

et al. 2023

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“…Tick-borne encephalitis virus foci are intricate microecosystems heavily influenced by a multitude of biotic and abiotic factors that can either facilitate or hinder virus transmission and the amplification chain (Cabezas- Cruz and Banović, 2023). The European continent is currently witnessing the expansion of TBEV endemic regions, primarily driven by climate changes, various anthropogenic factors, and the resulting migration of animals that serve as tick hosts (Kunze et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transmission and Infection of Arboviruses

2024

Frontiers Research Topics

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Frontiers is more than just an open access publisher of scholarly articles: it is a pioneering approach to the world of academia, radically improving the way scholarly research is managed. The grand vision of Frontiers is a world where all people have an equal opportunity to seek, share and generate knowledge. Frontiers provides immediate and permanent online open access to all its publications, but this alone is not enough to realize our grand goals. Frontiers journal seriesThe Frontiers journal series is a multi-tier and interdisciplinary set of openaccess, online journals, promising a paradigm shift from the current review, selection and dissemination processes in academic publishing. All Frontiers journals are driven by researchers for researchers; therefore, they constitute a service to the scholarly community. At the same time, the Frontiers journal series operates on a revolutionary invention, the tiered publishing system, initially addressing specific communities of scholars, and gradually climbing up to broader public understanding, thus serving the interests of the lay society, too. Dedication to qualityEach Frontiers article is a landmark of the highest quality, thanks to genuinely collaborative interactions between authors and review editors, who include some of the world's best academicians. Research must be certified by peers before entering a stream of knowledge that may eventually reach the public -and shape society; therefore, Frontiers only applies the most rigorous and unbiased reviews. Frontiers revolutionizes research publishing by freely delivering the most outstanding research, evaluated with no bias from both the academic and social point of view. By applying the most advanced information technologies, Frontiers is catapulting scholarly publishing into a new generation. What are Frontiers Research Topics?Frontiers Research Topics are very popular trademarks of the Frontiers journals series: they are collections of at least ten articles, all centered on a particular subject. With their unique mix of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Frontiers Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area.

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“…Tick-borne encephalitis virus foci are intricate microecosystems heavily influenced by a multitude of biotic and abiotic factors that can either facilitate or hinder virus transmission and the amplification chain ( Cabezas-Cruz and Banović, 2023 ). The European continent is currently witnessing the expansion of TBEV endemic regions, primarily driven by climate changes, various anthropogenic factors, and the resulting migration of animals that serve as tick hosts ( Kunze et al, 2022 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The existence of TBEV foci in different regions of Serbia was evident when tick-infested patients exhibited a higher likelihood of seroreactivity to TBEV antigens compared to blood donors from the same region ( Banović et al, 2021 ). Further awareness arose when TBEV-reactive IgG were discovered in 20% of individuals recovering from viral encephalitis of unknown origin ( Banović et al, 2022a ; Cabezas-Cruz and Banović, 2023 ). However, a significant limitation of these studies is that TBEV exposure was inferred through assays not designed to differentiate anti-TBEV antibodies from the humoral response generated against other orthoflaviviruses circulating in Serbia (e.g., Orthoflavivirus usutuense and WNV).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of tick-borne encephalitis virus neutralizing antibodies in Serbian individuals exposed to tick bites

Banović,

Mijatović,

Bogdan

et al. 2023

Front. Microbiol.

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IntroductionTick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is an emerging vector-borne and food-borne disease caused by the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV; Orthoflavivirus encephalitidis), with a distribution spanning the Eurasian continent. Despite its significant public health impact in various European regions, TBE remains largely underdiagnosed in Serbia due to limited awareness and diagnostic challenges. In response to this, our study aimed to comprehensively assess TBEV exposure in individuals infested with ticks and to identify potential TBEV foci within Serbia.Materials and methodsFrom 2019 to 2021, we conducted an observational study involving 450 patients who reported tick infestations.ResultsOur demographic analysis revealed a median age of 38 years, with a slight male predominance among the participants. We documented tick infestations in 38 municipalities across 14 districts of Serbia, with a notable concentration in proximity to Fruška Gora Mountain. The ticks most frequently removed were Ixodes ricinus, with nymphs and adult females being the predominant stages. On average, nymphs were removed after about 27.1 hours of feeding, while adult females remained attached for approximately 44.4 hours. Notably, we found age as a significant predictor of infestation time for both nymphs and adult females. Furthermore, we detected TBEV-neutralizing antibodies in 0.66% of the serum samples, shedding light on potential TBEV foci, particularly in Fruška Gora Mountain and other regions of Serbia.ConclusionOur study emphasizes the urgent need for active TBE surveillance programs, especially in areas suspected of hosting TBEV foci, in order to assess the true TBE burden, identify at-risk populations, and implement effective preventive measures.

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Understanding Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus Foci, a Tale of Two Mountains

Abstract: What factors influence the formation and disappearance of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) foci [...]

Cited by 4 publications

References 18 publications

Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus and Borrelia burgdorferi Seroprevalence in Balkan Tick-Infested Individuals: A Two-Centre Study

Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus and Borrelia burgdorferi Seroprevalence in Balkan Tick-Infested Individuals: A Two-Centre Study

Transmission and Infection of Arboviruses

Evidence of tick-borne encephalitis virus neutralizing antibodies in Serbian individuals exposed to tick bites

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