Medical Faculty, Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2011 Jun;11(6):659-64. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2010.0054. Epub 2010 Oct 28.
The hard tick Ixodes ricinus is the principal vector of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) in Slovenia; but until now, there was no information about the prevalence of TBEV infection in Slovenian ticks. We conducted a 2-year survey in 2005 and 2006, during which we were collecting I. ricinus ticks monthly in eight different locations of Slovenia. A total of 4777 I. ricinus ticks were collected: 1515 in year 2005 and 3262 in year 2006. The collected ticks were pooled into groups from which total RNA was extracted. Viral RNA was detected using real-time RT-polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Ticks infected with TBEV were found in six of eight locations. Viral RNA was detected in 8 of the 230 pools of ticks collected in 2005 and in 14 of the 442 pools collected in 2006. Prevalence of TBEV infection in Slovenian ticks was determined as 0.47%: 0.54% in 2005 and 0.43% in 2006. The detected infection rate in ticks significantly correlates with the TBEV incidence rates in selected areas. Using the method of sequencing, we have confirmed that the TBEV in ticks is genetically related to the TBEV in Slovenian patients.
硬蜱Ixodes ricinus 是斯洛文尼亚蜱传脑炎病毒（TBEV）的主要传播媒介；但到目前为止，还没有关于斯洛文尼亚蜱虫 TBEV 感染流行率的信息。我们在 2005 年和 2006 年进行了为期两年的调查，在此期间，我们每月在斯洛文尼亚的八个不同地点采集 I. ricinus 蜱虫。共采集到 4777 只 I. ricinus 蜱虫：2005 年采集到 1515 只，2006 年采集到 3262 只。将采集到的蜱虫按批次分组，提取总 RNA。使用实时 RT-PCR 检测病毒 RNA。在八个地点中的六个地点发现了感染 TBEV 的蜱虫。在 2005 年采集的 230 个蜱虫批次中，有 8 个检测到病毒 RNA，在 2006 年采集的 442 个蜱虫批次中，有 14 个检测到病毒 RNA。斯洛文尼亚蜱虫的 TBEV 感染率为 0.47%：2005 年为 0.54%，2006 年为 0.43%。检测到的感染率与选定地区 TBEV 的发病率显著相关。使用测序方法，我们已经证实蜱虫中的 TBEV 在基因上与斯洛文尼亚患者中的 TBEV 相关。
