Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine, University of Bern, and Agroscope, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald, Insel Riems, Germany.
Viruses. 2021 Jul 28;13(8):1474. doi: 10.3390/v13081474.
Tick-borne encephalitis is an important viral tick-borne zoonosis in Europe and Asia. The disease is induced by tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). This report describes a 16-year-old Warmblood gelding presenting with sudden onset of lethargy, ataxia, and muscle fasciculations on the nostrils, the lips, and the eye lids as the most important clinical findings. The horse further had a mild facial nerve paralysis with drooping of the right upper and lower lip. Diagnosis was based on paired serum samples using TBEV-ELISAs revealing high serum IgM in the first sample with normal IgM in the second sample and an increase in serum IgG and neutralizing antibodies, indicating acute and recent infection. TBEV was confirmed by a virus-neutralization test, revealing a fivefold increase in antibodies 32 days after of the onset of clinical signs. Although the specific PCR on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was negative, TBEV-specific IgG and IgM were identified in the CSF of the horse. Treatment consisted of anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative treatment and the horse recovered with a mild drooping of the right nostril as the only remaining clinical sign. TBEV infection is a potential differential diagnosis of neurological disease in horses living in endemic areas and this is the first report to describe the diagnostic criteria in a horse as recommended in humans with suspected TBEV infection.
蜱传脑炎是一种在欧洲和亚洲重要的病毒蜱传动物传染病。该病是由蜱传脑炎病毒（TBEV）引起的。本报告描述了一例 16 岁的温血公马，其最主要的临床症状为突然出现嗜睡、共济失调和鼻孔、嘴唇和眼睑的肌肉抽搐。该马还患有轻度面神经瘫痪，表现为右下唇下垂。根据 TBEV-ELISA 检测配对血清样本进行诊断，第一份样本中血清 IgM 高，第二份样本中 IgM 正常，血清 IgG 和中和抗体增加，表明急性和近期感染。通过病毒中和试验证实了 TBEV 的存在，在临床症状出现后 32 天抗体滴度增加了 5 倍。尽管脑脊液（CSF）的特定 PCR 为阴性，但该马的 CSF 中检测到了 TBEV 特异性 IgG 和 IgM。治疗包括抗炎和抗氧化治疗，该马恢复良好，仅右鼻孔下垂作为唯一残留的临床症状。TBEV 感染是生活在流行地区的马发生神经疾病的潜在鉴别诊断，这是首例按照疑似 TBEV 感染人类的推荐标准描述马的诊断标准的报告。
