title: Roe deer sera used for TBE surveillance in Austria.
abstract: A large majority of Austrian citizens are aware of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), consequently reflected by a high vaccination rate of 85%. In return, risk assessment and disease mapping on human cases might be hampered due to high and inhomogeneous vaccination rates and travel habitats of humans. The roe deer was used to obtain a starting point for the integral view on the actual risk of TBE in Austria. The roe deer exhibits several attributes which makes it suitable as an indicator species: the roe deer has a restricted home range and it is known to be a heavy tick carrier. Furthermore it sero-converts after infection with TBE, but no outbreak occurs. Sera from 945 roe deer were obtained from all over Austria and screened with IFAT for the antibodies against TBE. Twenty-two positive samples, 2.4%, and 17 samples at the borderline titre of 1:16 were identified. The majority of the positive samples, 70.6%, were located in known TBE areas based on human cases. Further research is needed to confirm or reject new endemic foci of TBE transmission.
authors: Institute of Parasitology, Department of Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, A-1210 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: Georg.Duscher@vetmeduni.ac.at.
authors: Georg Gerhard
authors: GG
authors: Duscher
authors: Institute of Parasitology, Department of Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, A-1210 Vienna, Austria.
authors: Monika
authors: M
authors: Wetscher
authors: Dr. Gernot Walder GmbH, Außervillgraten, Austria.
authors: Raphaela
authors: R
authors: Baumgartner
authors: Dr. Gernot Walder GmbH, Außervillgraten, Austria.
authors: Gernot
authors: G
authors: Walder
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001317:Austria; D003670:Deer / Q000469:parasitology / Q000821:virology*; D004669:Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004675:Encephalitis, Tick-Borne / Q000097:blood / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018884:Ixodes / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral
keywords: Risk map; Roe deer; TBE