Stjernberg Louise, Holmkvist Karin, Berglund Johan
Blekinge Institute for Research and Development, Karlskrona, Sweden.
Scand J Infect Dis. 2008;40(1):4-10. doi: 10.1080/00365540701522934. Epub 2007 Sep 12.
In 2002, two cases of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) were diagnosed in inhabitants of a tick endemic area on the island of Aspö in south-east Sweden. During the previous 25 y, only 2 other cases of TBE had been diagnosed in that region of Sweden. To investigate the presence and evolution of seroprevalence of antibodies to TBE virus (TBEV), we compared inhabitants' anti-TBEV immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels in blood samples drawn in 1991 and 2002. A significant increase in IgG antibody levels was observed in 24/200 (12.0%) 2002 blood samples compared to 7/200 (3.5%) 1991 samples. However, neutralizing antibodies were detected in only 4 of the 2-step enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) IgG positive sera against TBEV, corresponding to a TBEV neutralizing test (NT) prevalence of 2%. Significantly more men than women were seropositive for TBEV antibodies. Compared to other age groups, the greatest increase in TBEV antibody levels was observed in the 20-29-y age group. However, the majority of seropositive samples were from participants >50 y of age. Recommending preventative measures, including vaccination against TBE, to individuals who reside in or regularly visit TBEV endemic areas is suggested.
2002年，瑞典东南部阿斯波岛蜱虫流行地区的居民中诊断出2例蜱传脑炎（TBE）。在过去25年中，瑞典该地区仅诊断出另外2例TBE病例。为了调查抗TBE病毒（TBEV）抗体血清阳性率的存在情况及其演变，我们比较了1991年和2002年采集的血液样本中居民的抗TBEV免疫球蛋白G（IgG）水平。与1991年的200份样本中的7份（3.5%）相比，2002年的200份血液样本中有24份（12.0%）的IgG抗体水平显著升高。然而，在针对TBEV的两步酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）IgG阳性血清中，仅4份检测到中和抗体，对应的TBEV中和试验（NT）阳性率为2%。TBEV抗体血清阳性的男性明显多于女性。与其他年龄组相比，20 - 29岁年龄组的TBEV抗体水平升高幅度最大。然而，大多数血清阳性样本来自年龄大于50岁的参与者。建议向居住在或经常前往TBEV流行地区的个人推荐预防措施，包括接种TBE疫苗。
