Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus in Ticks and Roe Deer, the Netherlands

• Published in: Emerging infectious diseases Vol. 23; no. 6; pp. 1028 - 1030
• Main Authors: Jahfari, Setareh, de Vries, Ankje, Rijks, Jolianne M, Van Gucht, Steven, Vennema, Harry, Sprong, Hein, Rockx, Barry
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases 01.06.2017; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies, Viral - blood; Arachnid Vectors - virology; Deer - virology; Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne - classification; Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne - genetics; Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne - isolation & purification; Encephalitis, Tick-Borne - blood; Encephalitis, Tick-Borne - epidemiology; Encephalitis, Tick-Borne - transmission; Encephalitis, Tick-Borne - veterinary; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; European roe deer; Humans; Ixodes - virology; meningitis/encephalitis; Netherlands - epidemiology; Nymph - virology; Phylogeny; Physiological aspects; Research Letter; Risk factors; RNA, Viral - genetics; roe deer; Seroepidemiologic Studies; the Netherlands; Tick-borne encephalitis; tick-borne encephalitis virus; Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus in Ticks and Roe Deer, the Netherlands; ticks; Netherlands; TBEV-EU; viruses; roe deer; ticks; zoonoses; Capreolus capreolus; the Netherlands; tick-borne encephalitis; vector-borne infections; TBEV; Ixodes ricinus; meningitis/encephalitis; flavivirus; tick-borne encephalitis virus
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059
• DOI: 10.3201/eid2306.161247

We report the presence of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) in the Netherlands. Serologic screening of roe deer found TBEV-neutralizing antibodies with a seroprevalence of 2%, and TBEV RNA was detected in 2 ticks from the same location. Enhanced surveillance and awareness among medical professionals has led to the identification of autochthonous cases.