Objectives The tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is the causative agent of human tick-borne enceph- alitis. TBEV can infect several domestic and wild species other than humans. Some species, such as red deer, have been considered as sentinels of virus circulation. This study aimed to investigate TBEV antibody seroprevalence in wild ungulates from Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) and Veneto Alps. Methods A total of 110 blood samples, collected from wild ungulates culled during the 2018 and 2019 hunting seasons, were tested for TBEV antibodies by a commercial ELISA kit. In particular, a total of 64 and 46 samples were collected from FVG and Veneto regions, respectively. Results A total of 24 out of 110 samples (21,8%) tested positive and other 10 (9,1%) were borderline for antibody detection with the following breakdown: 10 positive samples were from FVG (10/64; 15,6%), and 14 from Veneto (14/46; 30,4%), while 7 borderline samples were from FVG (7/64; 10,1%) and 3 from Veneto (3/46; 6,5%). Except mouflon, all surveyed animal species showed a positive or borderline antibody re- sponse. Conclusions This serological survey shows a high TBEV antibody seroprevalence in wild ungulates from northeastern Italian Alps, confirming the endemicity of the virus in the studied area. Direct detection of the virus in ticks and reservoir hosts rarely gives positive results, and the eval- uation of seroprevalence in wild ungulates, applying a correct sampling approach, can be considered a useful tool to investigate the epidemiological trend of TBEV presence over time.
Antibodies against Tick-borne encephalitis virus in wild ungulates from northeastern Italy: preliminary study
Menandro M. L.
;Pasotto D.;Drigo M.;Grassi L.
2022
Abstract
Objectives The tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is the causative agent of human tick-borne enceph- alitis. TBEV can infect several domestic and wild species other than humans. Some species, such as red deer, have been considered as sentinels of virus circulation. This study aimed to investigate TBEV antibody seroprevalence in wild ungulates from Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) and Veneto Alps. Methods A total of 110 blood samples, collected from wild ungulates culled during the 2018 and 2019 hunting seasons, were tested for TBEV antibodies by a commercial ELISA kit. In particular, a total of 64 and 46 samples were collected from FVG and Veneto regions, respectively. Results A total of 24 out of 110 samples (21,8%) tested positive and other 10 (9,1%) were borderline for antibody detection with the following breakdown: 10 positive samples were from FVG (10/64; 15,6%), and 14 from Veneto (14/46; 30,4%), while 7 borderline samples were from FVG (7/64; 10,1%) and 3 from Veneto (3/46; 6,5%). Except mouflon, all surveyed animal species showed a positive or borderline antibody re- sponse. Conclusions This serological survey shows a high TBEV antibody seroprevalence in wild ungulates from northeastern Italian Alps, confirming the endemicity of the virus in the studied area. Direct detection of the virus in ticks and reservoir hosts rarely gives positive results, and the eval- uation of seroprevalence in wild ungulates, applying a correct sampling approach, can be considered a useful tool to investigate the epidemiological trend of TBEV presence over time.
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