title: Characterization of tick-borne encephalitis virus from Latvia.
abstract: Viruses of the tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) antigenic complex, within the family Flaviviridae, cause a variety of diseases including uncomplicated febrile illness, encephalitis, meningo-encephalitis, hemorrhagic fever and chronic disease in humans, domesticated animals or wildlife species. TBE is a serious problem in Latvia with up to a 1,000 patients confirmed serologically annually 1994-1995. No previous data had been reported on the causative agent of TBE in Latvia. In the present study, a virus was isolated from serum of a patient with clinical symptoms of an acute TBE infection. Nucleotide sequence information obtained by direct reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the serological characteristics of the isolated virus strain, designated TBE-Latvia-1-96, indicated a closer relationship to the Vasilchenko strain, isolated in Novosibirsk (Siberia, Russia), as compared to the western European or far eastern subtypes of TBE viruses. In a mouse neurovirulence assay, a significant difference in survival rates (days) was shown between Latvia-1-96 and the western European TBE virus subtype.
authors.affiliation: National Environmental Health Centre, Riga, Latvia.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mavtchoutko
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vene
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haglund
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Forsgren
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Duks
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kalnina
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hörling
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lundkvist
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D003411:Arvicolinae; D001921:Brain / Q000821:virology; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D004669:Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004675:Encephalitis, Tick-Borne / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007844:Latvia; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012698:Serologic Tests; D014709:Vero Cells; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins