Jakimovski Dejan, Mateska Sofija, Dimitrova Emilija, Bosilkovski Mile, Mijatović Dragana, Simin Verica, Bogdan Ivana, Grujić Jasmina, Budakov-Obradović Zorana, Meletis Eleftherios, Kostoulas Polychronis, Cabezas-Cruz Alejandro, Banović Pavle
Faculty of Medicine, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, 1000 Skopje, North Macedonia.
University Clinic for Infectious Diseases and Febrile Conditions, 1000 Skopje, North Macedonia.
Pathogens. 2023 Jul 9;12(7):922. doi: 10.3390/pathogens12070922.
Lyme borreliosis (LB) and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) are important tick-borne diseases in Europe. This study aimed to investigate the seroreactivity against and TBE virus (TBEV) in tick-infested individuals in North Macedonia and Serbia. Serum samples were collected from tick-infested individuals and from healthy individuals in the same regions. Samples were tested for anti- IgG reactivity and TBEV-neutralizing antibodies. Results showed higher seroreactivity against antigens in patients and healthy donors from Novi Sad compared to those from the Skopje region. However, there was no statistically significant difference between tick-infested patients and healthy donors within each region. No TBEV-neutralizing antibodies were detected in participants from Novi Sad or in the control groups, except for one person from North Macedonia who had a moderate TBEV-neutralizing reaction. The study highlights the need for improved surveillance and diagnostic capabilities for LB and TBE in these regions. It also suggests the potential existence of TBEV foci in North Macedonia. The findings provide a complementary understanding of the LB and TBE epidemiology in the studied regions; however, further research is needed to investigate the presence and distribution of spp. and TBEV in ticks to assess the significance of detected seroreactivity.
莱姆病（LB）和蜱传脑炎（TBE）是欧洲重要的蜱传疾病。本研究旨在调查北马其顿和塞尔维亚蜱叮咬人群对莱姆病螺旋体及蜱传脑炎病毒（TBEV）的血清反应性。从蜱叮咬人群以及同一地区的健康个体中采集血清样本。对样本进行抗莱姆病螺旋体IgG反应性和TBEV中和抗体检测。结果显示，与斯科普里地区的患者和健康献血者相比，诺维萨德的患者和健康献血者对莱姆病螺旋体抗原的血清反应性更高。然而，每个地区内蜱叮咬患者和健康献血者之间没有统计学上的显著差异。在诺维萨德的参与者或对照组中未检测到TBEV中和抗体，但有一名来自北马其顿的人有中度TBEV中和反应。该研究强调了在这些地区改善莱姆病和蜱传脑炎监测及诊断能力的必要性。这也表明北马其顿可能存在TBEV疫源地。这些发现为所研究地区的莱姆病和蜱传脑炎流行病学提供了补充性认识；然而，需要进一步研究来调查蜱中莱姆病螺旋体种类和TBEV的存在及分布，以评估检测到的血清反应性的意义。
