Girl Philipp, Schindler Anne, Martin Silke, Dobler Gerhard, Borde Johannes P
Department of Veterinary Sciences, Bacteriology and Mycology, Institute for Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.
Praxis Prof. Borde & Kollegen, Oberkirch, Germany.
J Med Virol. 2025 Aug;97(8):e70514. doi: 10.1002/jmv.70514.
Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is an emerging flavivirus in Europe and Asia, causing severe neurological disease in humans. Recent advances in serological diagnostics, in particular the detection of antibodies against the nonstructural protein 1 (NS1), enable epidemiological research by differentiation of vaccine- and infection-induced antibodies. This assay facilitates precise studies on TBEV seroprevalence. Our study investigates the TBEV seroprevalence in the district of Passau and the surrounding high-risk areas in Lower Bavaria, Germany. A total of 1339 serum samples from voluntary blood donors were examined using a combination of IgG ELISA, NS1-antibody ELISA, and micro-neutralization test (NT). The results showed a TBEV-specific IgG antibody prevalence of 84.8% (1135/1339). Of these, 3.6% (41/1135) were NS1-antibody positive samples, which indicates infection-related antibodies. The vaccination coverage rate was estimated at 81.2% (1094/1339), which is in line with the results from neighboring Austria but exceeds previous vaccination estimates for Bavaria. The study showed a discrepancy between the officially reported incidences (3.7 new cases/100 000 inhabitants annually) and the actual infection rate based on NS1-antibody seroprevalence (180.6 infections/100 000 inhabitants annually). The manifestation index was calculated at 2.1%, confirming that the majority of TBE infections are subclinical or asymptomatic. The results emphasize the usefulness of NS1-antibody-based diagnostics in the accurate assessment of TBEV prevalence and highlight the need for improved surveillance in endemic areas.
蜱传脑炎病毒（TBEV）是欧洲和亚洲一种新出现的黄病毒，可导致人类严重的神经系统疾病。血清学诊断的最新进展，特别是针对非结构蛋白1（NS1）抗体的检测，使得通过区分疫苗诱导抗体和感染诱导抗体来开展流行病学研究成为可能。该检测方法有助于对TBEV血清流行率进行精确研究。我们的研究调查了德国下巴伐利亚州帕绍地区及周边高风险区域的TBEV血清流行率。使用IgG酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）、NS1抗体ELISA和微量中和试验（NT）相结合的方法，对1339份来自自愿献血者的血清样本进行了检测。结果显示，TBEV特异性IgG抗体流行率为84.8%（1135/1339）。其中，3.6%（41/1135）为NS1抗体阳性样本，表明是与感染相关的抗体。疫苗接种覆盖率估计为81.2%（1094/1339），这与邻国奥地利的结果一致，但超过了此前对巴伐利亚州的疫苗接种估计。该研究显示，官方报告的发病率（每年每10万居民中有3.7例新发病例）与基于NS1抗体血清流行率的实际感染率（每年每十万居民中有180.6例感染）之间存在差异。计算得出的表现指数为2.1%，证实大多数TBE感染为亚临床或无症状感染。这些结果强调了基于NS1抗体的诊断方法在准确评估TBEV流行率方面的有用性，并突出了在流行地区加强监测的必要性。
