Prevalence of tick-borne encephalitis virus antibodies in dogs from Denmark.
BACKGROUND
Large regions of central and eastern Europe are recognized as areas where tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is endemic, including countries neighbouring Denmark. It is therefore timely and relevant to determine if TBEV infections occur in Denmark. This study investigates the presence of antibodies against TBEV in a cross-section of the Danish canine population to assess the level of exposure to TBEV and possibly identify TBEV microfoci in Denmark.


METHODS
Blood samples were collected from 125 dogs originating from five regions of Denmark between November 2005 and March 2006. Serum was tested by indirect ELISA. All positive and borderline samples were re-evaluated by neutralisation test (NT).


RESULTS
The prevalence of TBEV serocomplex antibodies was 30% by ELISA and 4.8% by NT (with 100%-neutralising capacity). The island of Bornholm was the only area in Denmark with NT positive samples.


CONCLUSIONS
The island of Bornholm is an area with a high risk of encountering TBEV microfoci. The presence of TBEV serocomplex antibodies in many sentinel animals from other parts of Denmark points toward existence of other TBEV microfoci. Discrepancies found between ELISA and NT results stress the importance of careful evaluation of serological tests, when interpreting results.
Lindhe
Katherine E S
KE
Vangede Small Animal Veterinary Clinic, Plantevej 2, DK-2870 Dyssegård,, Denmark. stipp@dsr.life.ku.dk
Meldgaard
Danny S
DS
Jensen
Per M
PM
Houser
Geoffrey A
GA
Berendt
Mette
M
D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D004285:Dogs / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D004669:Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne / Q000276:immunology*; D004675:Encephalitis, Tick-Borne / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D015995:Prevalence
D000914:Antibodies, Viral