Seroprevalence of Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) Virus Antibodies in Wild Rodents from Two Natural TBE Foci in Bavaria, Germany
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is Eurasia’s most important tick-borne viral disease. Rodents play an important role as natural hosts. Longitudinal studies on the dynamics of the seroprevalence rates in wild rodents in natural foci over the year are rare, and the dynamics of the transmission cycle sti...
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Pathogens |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/12/2/185 |
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| author | Philipp Johannes Brandenburg Anna Obiegala Hannah Maureen Schmuck Gerhard Dobler Lidia Chitimia-Dobler Martin Pfeffer |
| author_facet | Philipp Johannes Brandenburg Anna Obiegala Hannah Maureen Schmuck Gerhard Dobler Lidia Chitimia-Dobler Martin Pfeffer |
| author_sort | Philipp Johannes Brandenburg |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is Eurasia’s most important tick-borne viral disease. Rodents play an important role as natural hosts. Longitudinal studies on the dynamics of the seroprevalence rates in wild rodents in natural foci over the year are rare, and the dynamics of the transmission cycle still need to be understood. To better understand the infection dynamics, rodents were captured in a capture-mark-release-recapture-study in two natural foci in Bavaria, Germany, monthly from March 2019 to October 2022. Overall, 651 blood and thoracic lavage samples from 478 different wild rodents (<i>Clethrionomys glareolus</i> and <i>Apodemus flavicollis</i>) were analyzed for antibodies against tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IIFA) and confirmed using a serum neutralization test (SNT). Furthermore, a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) analysis was performed to investigate ecological and individual factors for the probability of infection in rodents. <i>Clethrionomys glareolus</i> (19.4%) had a higher seroprevalence than <i>A. flavicollis</i> (10.5%). Within <i>Cl. glareolus,</i> more males (40.4%) than females (15.6%) were affected, and more adults (25.4%) than juveniles (9.8%). The probability of infection of rodents rather depends on factors such as species, sex, and age than on the study site of a natural focus, year, and season. The high incidence rates of rodents, particularly male adult bank voles, highlight their critical role in the transmission cycle of TBEV in a natural focus and demonstrate that serologically positive rodents can be reliably detected in a natural focus regardless of season or year. In addition, these data contribute to a better understanding of the TBEV cycle and thus could improve preventive strategies for human infections. |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:19:10Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
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| series | Pathogens |
| spelling | doaj.art-b0e6e296a3ff4087928941670d27fccd2023-11-16T22:33:12ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172023-01-0112218510.3390/pathogens12020185Seroprevalence of Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) Virus Antibodies in Wild Rodents from Two Natural TBE Foci in Bavaria, GermanyPhilipp Johannes Brandenburg0Anna Obiegala1Hannah Maureen Schmuck2Gerhard Dobler3Lidia Chitimia-Dobler4Martin Pfeffer5Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 1, 04103 Leipzig, GermanyInstitute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 1, 04103 Leipzig, GermanyInstitute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 1, 04103 Leipzig, GermanyNational Consulting Laboratory for TBE, Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Neuherbergstrasse 11, 80937 Munich, GermanyNational Consulting Laboratory for TBE, Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Neuherbergstrasse 11, 80937 Munich, GermanyInstitute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 1, 04103 Leipzig, GermanyTick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is Eurasia’s most important tick-borne viral disease. Rodents play an important role as natural hosts. Longitudinal studies on the dynamics of the seroprevalence rates in wild rodents in natural foci over the year are rare, and the dynamics of the transmission cycle still need to be understood. To better understand the infection dynamics, rodents were captured in a capture-mark-release-recapture-study in two natural foci in Bavaria, Germany, monthly from March 2019 to October 2022. Overall, 651 blood and thoracic lavage samples from 478 different wild rodents (<i>Clethrionomys glareolus</i> and <i>Apodemus flavicollis</i>) were analyzed for antibodies against tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IIFA) and confirmed using a serum neutralization test (SNT). Furthermore, a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) analysis was performed to investigate ecological and individual factors for the probability of infection in rodents. <i>Clethrionomys glareolus</i> (19.4%) had a higher seroprevalence than <i>A. flavicollis</i> (10.5%). Within <i>Cl. glareolus,</i> more males (40.4%) than females (15.6%) were affected, and more adults (25.4%) than juveniles (9.8%). The probability of infection of rodents rather depends on factors such as species, sex, and age than on the study site of a natural focus, year, and season. The high incidence rates of rodents, particularly male adult bank voles, highlight their critical role in the transmission cycle of TBEV in a natural focus and demonstrate that serologically positive rodents can be reliably detected in a natural focus regardless of season or year. In addition, these data contribute to a better understanding of the TBEV cycle and thus could improve preventive strategies for human infections.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/12/2/185<i>Clethrionomys glareolus</i><i>Apodemus flavicollis</i>epidemiologytick-borne encephalitisseroprevalence |
| spellingShingle | Philipp Johannes Brandenburg Anna Obiegala Hannah Maureen Schmuck Gerhard Dobler Lidia Chitimia-Dobler Martin Pfeffer Seroprevalence of Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) Virus Antibodies in Wild Rodents from Two Natural TBE Foci in Bavaria, Germany Pathogens <i>Clethrionomys glareolus</i> <i>Apodemus flavicollis</i> epidemiology tick-borne encephalitis seroprevalence |
| title | Seroprevalence of Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) Virus Antibodies in Wild Rodents from Two Natural TBE Foci in Bavaria, Germany |
| title_full | Seroprevalence of Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) Virus Antibodies in Wild Rodents from Two Natural TBE Foci in Bavaria, Germany |
| title_fullStr | Seroprevalence of Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) Virus Antibodies in Wild Rodents from Two Natural TBE Foci in Bavaria, Germany |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seroprevalence of Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) Virus Antibodies in Wild Rodents from Two Natural TBE Foci in Bavaria, Germany |
| title_short | Seroprevalence of Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) Virus Antibodies in Wild Rodents from Two Natural TBE Foci in Bavaria, Germany |
| title_sort | seroprevalence of tick borne encephalitis tbe virus antibodies in wild rodents from two natural tbe foci in bavaria germany |
| topic | <i>Clethrionomys glareolus</i> <i>Apodemus flavicollis</i> epidemiology tick-borne encephalitis seroprevalence |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/12/2/185 |
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