Prevalence and phylogenetic analysis of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) in field-collected ticks (Ixodes ricinus) in southern Switzerland.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Tick-borne encephalitis is the most common tick-borne viral infection in Europe with 3,000 human cases reported each year. In Western Europe, the castor bean tick, Ixodes ricinus, is the principal vector of the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). TBEV appears to be spreading geographically and was recently detected for the first time in Canton Valais in the southern part of Switzerland. The purpose of the present study was to survey the I. ricinus tick populations of Canton Valais for TBEV.

Methods

We collected a total of 19,331 I. ricinus ticks at 45 different sites in Canton Valais between 2010 and 2013. Ticks were processed in pools and tested for TBEV using reverse transcription quantitative PCR. The NS5 gene and the envelope gene of the TBEV isolates were p

SUBMITTER: Rieille N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4261884 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature