Relation of genetic phylogeny and geographical distance of tick-borne encephalitis virus in central Europe.

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is the most important arboviral agent causing disease of the central nervous system in central Europe. In this study, 61 TBEV E gene sequences derived from 48 isolates from the Czech Republic, and four isolates and nine TBEV strains detected in ticks from Germany, covering more than half a century from 1954 to 2009, were sequenced and subjected to phylogenetic and Bayesian phylodynamic analysis to determine the phylogeography of TBEV in central Europe. The general Eurasian continental east-to-west pattern of the spread of TBEV was confirmed at the regional level but is interlaced with spreading that arises because of local geography and anthropogenic influence.

Tick-borne encephalitis virus in Clethrionomys glareolus in the Czech Republic.

A total of 474 specimens from 157 rodents caught at the military training area of Boletice in the south of the Czech Republic from May to November 1999 were screened for TBEV by nested PCR. TBEV-specific RNA was amplified from lung, kidney, and spleen derived from one Clethrionomys glareolus in the first RT-PCR round. Sequence analysis revealed a 100% identity to the TBEV strain Neudoerfl.

Identification of genetic evidence for dobrava virus spillover in rodents by nested reverse transcription (RT)-PCR and TaqMan RT-PCR.

A survey of 158 rodents caught in the Czech Republic identified Dobrava virus sequences closely related to that of the Dobrava virus type strain in Apodemus sylvaticus and Mus musculus rodents. The identity of A. sylvaticus was unequivocally confirmed by random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis.

[Antigens for the diagnosis of tick-borne encephalitis using the ELISA technique].

From the brains of suckling mice infected with the virus of tickborne encephalitis, strain Hypr, the authors concentrated by precipitation with polyethylene glycol - 6000 and purified by differential ultracentrifuging on a linear saccharose gradient the virion antigen KEV-II for assessment of specific human antibodies, using the indirect ELISA technique. The antigen was characterized as to haemagglutination activity, electrophoretic properties, immunoblotting with a monoclonal antibody against external layer gpE and enzyme immune analysis to assess the relative ratio of gpE in the diagnostic antigen. Using the technique of indirect ELISA with antigen KEV-II, the authors examined in 1988 and 1989 sera of 631 patients with a specificity of estimations of 99.

Protection against European isolates of tick-borne encephalitis virus after vaccination with a new tick-borne encephalitis vaccine.

A highly purified, inactivated tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus particle vaccine has been developed. In this study we report on the efficacy of this new vaccine to protect against TBE virus isolates from different geographical areas of Europe and the Asian part of the USSR.