[Molecular and epidemiological characteristics of tick-borne encephalitis virus in the Sverdlovsk Region on the basis of genotype-specific RT-PCR].

Studies and complete awareness of the regional and epidemiological properties of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) allow one to improve methods for preventing, diagnosing, and treating its severe neurological infection. The authors have developed reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) systems for the detection of RNA of TBEV and for the determination of its genotype in the ticks and clinical materials. RT-PTC was shown to have a higher sensitivity and specificity than the practically used enzyme immunoassay system.