Browsing by Subject "TBEV"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3

The emergence and dynamics of tick-borne Encephalitis Virus in a new endemic region in Southern Germany
(2022) Lang, Daniel; Chitimia-Dobler, Lidia; Bestehorn-Willmann, Malena; Lindau, Alexander; Drehmann, Marco; Stroppel, Gabriele; Hengge, Helga; Mackenstedt, Ute; Kaier, Klaus; Dobler, Gerhard; Borde, Johannes
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is the most important viral tick-borne infection in Europe and Asia. It is emerging in new areas. The mechanisms of emergence are fairly unknown or speculative. In the Ravensburg district in southern Germany, TBE emerged, mainly over the last five years. Here, we analyzed the underlying epidemiology in humans. The resulting identified natural foci of the causal TBE virus (TBEV) were genetically characterized. We sampled 13 potential infection sites at these foci and detected TBEV in ticks (Ixodes ricinus) at eight sites. Phylogenetic analysis spurred the introduction of at least four distinct TBEV lineages of the European subtype into the Ravensburg district over the last few years. In two instances, a continuous spread of these virus strains over up to 10 km was observed.
Serological protection rates against TBEV infection in blood donors from a highly endemic region in Southern Germany
(2023) Dobler, Gerhard; Euringer, Kathrin; Kaier, Klaus; Borde, Johannes P.
Background: Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is the most significant tick-borne disease in Europe and Asia, with more than 10,000 cases per year worldwide. A surge of reported TBE cases can be observed despite the availability of highly efficient vaccines. There is little known about the serological immune protection rate of the population in Germany. The seroprotection rate is defined as the presence of neutralizing antibodies. In contrast, the vaccination rate, as defined by public health agencies, may differ from the true protection rate in a population. Materials and Methods: 2220 blood samples from inhabitants of the county Ortenaukreis in the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg in Germany were included in the study. These were tested for anti-TBEV IgG antibodies by an anti-TBEV-IgG-ELISA. Subsequently, all TBEV-IgG positive samples were confirmed for neutralizing antibodies in the micro serum neutralization assay. Results: From the overall 2220 samples, 2104 were included in the comparison because of the selection of specific age groups (ages 20–69). In our sample size, we found an average serological protection rate (presence of neutralizing antibodies) of 57% (518/908) for the female blood donors and of 52% (632/1196) for the male blood donors. Discussion: In this study, we present new findings on a highly endemic region in southern Germany. Additionally, we present current data regarding the serological TBEV protection rates in the Ortenaukreis in southern Germany and compare these with a dataset published by the RKI, which is based on vaccination reports of the primary care providers and health care insurers, and with a self-reporting study conducted by a vaccine manufacturer. Our results significantly exceed the official numbers of average active vaccination status by 23.2% for females and by 21% for males. This might indicate an even longer persistence of TBE-vaccination-induced antibody titers than previously assumed.
Untersuchung viraler, zoonotischer Erreger in Baden-Württemberg
(2019) Lindau, Alexander; Mackenstedt, Ute
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is the most common tick-borne viral infection in Germany. Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) belongs to the family Flaviviridae and is transmitted either directly by tick bites or by the alimentary route, which means by contaminated food. The main reservoir hosts of TBEV are the yellow-necked mouse and the bank vole, which is also the main reservoir host for the rodent-borne Hanta viruses. Infections with Hanta virus are mainly acquired by inhaling of aerosols of urine and faeces of infected individuals. The most common type of Hanta viruses in Southern Germany is the Puumala type. Hanta-virus infections as well as TBE infections are notifiable diseases in Germany. For both diseases the amount of registered cases per year vary between years in a contrary pattern. To be able to evaluate possible risks of TBEV for humans, it is very important to know detailed information about the epidemiology, spreading of the viruses, as well as their hosts and the viruses themselves. Therefore, the presence of TBEV-foci, as well as the breakdown into micro- and macrofoci was addressed. Additionally, the prevalence of Hantavirus in rodents was studied.