Abstract
Tick borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) (Flaviviridae, Flavivirus) is the causative agent of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), a potentially fatal neurological infection. The disease is endemic in a large region in Eurasia, where is transmitted mainly by hard ticks: Ixodes ricinus and I. persulcatus. It is known that also Dermacentor reticulatus is involved in a circulation of TBEV, but the knowledge of its importance in the TBE epidemiology is still insufficient. The Białowieża Primeval Forest is located in eastern Poland and it is a well-known endemic focus of tick-borne encephalitis. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) in Dermacentor reticulatus ticks collected from European bison (Bison bonasus bonasus), an important host of hard ticks in the Białowieża Primeval Forest. In the years 2008-2009, a total of 114 adult D. reticulatus ticks were collected from 7 European bison and examined individually for the presence of TBEV RNA using nested RT-PCR assay. Positive results were noted in 18.42% of ticks. This is the first record of TBEV infection in ticks collected from European bison.
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Biernat, B., Karbowiak, G., Stańczak, J. et al. The first detection of the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) RNA in Dermacentor reticulatus ticks collected from the lowland European bison (Bison bonasus bonasus L.). Acta Parasit. 61, 130–135 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1515/ap-2016-0017
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ap-2016-0017