Yu Menghan, Fu Xiaoshu, Zhu Yanli, Li Miao, Wu Min, Zhou Entong, Dong Hanwen, Wang Likun, Wang Ruoxi, Liu Fang, Jiang Chunlai, Kong Xiangwei, Su Weiheng
National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, People's Republic of China.
People's Hospital of Jiangyuan District, Baishan, Jilin Province, People's Republic of China.
Int J Gen Med. 2024 Aug 28;17:3745-3753. doi: 10.2147/IJGM.S475450. eCollection 2024.
Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) infections result in severe central nervous system diseases in humans across Asia and Europe. In China, cases of tick-borne encephalitis are primarily caused by the Far East subtype of TBEV, which exhibits a distinct disease course compared to other extensively studied subtypes. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the nucleic acid and serological diagnostic characteristics of patients infected with the TBEV in China, which is the focus of investigation in the present study.
This study established a TaqMan qPCR approach to detect TBEV RNA in the serum with optimal specificity, sensitivity, and precision. Using TaqMan qPCR and ELISA assay for TBEV IgM detection, serum samples from 63 hospitalized patients bitten by ticks in Northeast China were investigated for diagnostic characteristics.
Twenty-five patients were positive for viral RNA; nineteen patients were positive for IgM, and nine were positive for both viral RNA and IgM. Through comparative analysis, TBEV RNA copies were negatively correlated with the virus incubation period. IgM levels were positively correlated with the clinical symptom scores of patients. The severity of clinical symptoms and the length after the tick bite could be used to predict the IgM occurrence. Furthermore, IgM levels and viral RNA copies were not correlated in double-positive patients.
Both nucleic acid and serological detection methods exhibited distinct windows for detecting TBEV infection, with some overlap, and were associated with specific correlated factors. This study provided novel insights into the diagnosis and course of TBEV-induced tick-borne encephalitis in China.
蜱传脑炎病毒（TBEV）感染可导致亚洲和欧洲人类出现严重的中枢神经系统疾病。在中国，蜱传脑炎病例主要由TBEV远东亚型引起，与其他广泛研究的亚型相比，该亚型表现出独特的病程。然而，关于中国TBEV感染患者的核酸和血清学诊断特征的了解有限，本研究重点对此展开调查。
本研究建立了一种TaqMan qPCR方法，以最优的特异性、敏感性和精密度检测血清中的TBEV RNA。采用TaqMan qPCR和ELISA法检测TBEV IgM，对中国东北地区63例因蜱叮咬住院患者的血清样本进行诊断特征研究。
25例患者病毒RNA呈阳性；19例患者IgM呈阳性，9例患者病毒RNA和IgM均呈阳性。通过比较分析，TBEV RNA拷贝数与病毒潜伏期呈负相关。IgM水平与患者临床症状评分呈正相关。临床症状的严重程度和蜱叮咬后的时长可用于预测IgM的出现。此外，双阳性患者的IgM水平与病毒RNA拷贝数不相关。
核酸和血清学检测方法在检测TBEV感染方面均有不同的窗口期，存在一定重叠，且与特定相关因素有关。本研究为中国TBEV所致蜱传脑炎的诊断和病程提供了新见解。
