Tick-borne encephalitis in Slovakia – epidemiology and history
Authors:
Špaleková Margita
Authors‘ workplace:
Ústav epidemiológie Lekárskej fakulty Univerzity Komenského v Bratislave
Published in:
Čes-slov Pediat 2022; 77 (Supplementum 1): 7-12.
Category:
Review
doi:
https://doi.org/10.55095/CSPediatrie2022/023
Overview
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is still the serious health problem despite seventy years beeing the object of many studies in natural focuses, available vaccine and large amount of knowledge about its epidemiology and prevention. TBE is in Slovakia the most important arboviral infection.
History of complex study of basic principles and causes of TBE occurrence by investigation of biology of ticks, sources of infection and ecologic relations (biotop, biocenosis, climatic and natural factors) together with discovery of its natural focuses started in the former Czechoslovakia after the large outbreak in Rožňava (east Slovakia) in 1951, when 660 individuals contracted infection by drinking unpasteurized goat´s milk. Analysis of this epidemic initiated research of focuses in Slovakia by epidemiological and virological investigations of ticks, reservoirs (rodents, insectivores), antibody prevalence in inhabitants and possibilities of alimentary transmission in experiment and focuses.
During the last decade an increase of TBE morbidity was notified in EU/EEA, in 2020 3734 cases (incidence 0.89 / 100 000) were reported. Similar trend was observed in Slovakia, in 2020 incidence was 3.39 / 100 000, 185 people were ill. There was also recorded the rise of infections caused by consumption of unpasteurized cheese and raw goat’s, sheep’s and cow’s milk. In the years 2010–2020 27 food-borne outbreaks were reported in the regions (Trenčín, Banská Bystrica, Žilina, Košice) mostly in June and July. The largest epidemic was in Košice suburbia in 2016. Two cases among 0–1 years old children were reported, one caused by tick attack and another one by breast-feeding.
Therefore prevention must be concentrated on education, control of milk products in small diary farmings, personal and professional protection against ticks and vaccination against TBE.
Keywords:
Epidemiology – Tick-borne encephalitis – virus of central-european encephalitis – infection with natural focality – occurrence in EU/EEA and in Slovakia – history of investigation
Sources
1. Michelitsch A, Wernike K, Klaus Ch, et al. Exploring the reservoir hosts of tick-borne encephalitis virus. Viruses 2019; 11: 669.
2. Bárdoš V, Brezina R, Hympán J, et al. Komplexný výskum ohniska nákazy na východnom Slovensku r. 1953. Bratisl Lek Listy 1954; 34: 1166–1195.
3. Bárdoš V, Hympán J, Milošovičová A, et al. Epidemiológia a klinika ľudských ochorení vírusovou encefalitídou v prírodnom ohnisku na východnom Slovensku r. 1953. (Epidemiology and symptomatology of human virus encephalitis acquired in a natural focus in Eastern Slovakia). Bratisl Lek Listy 1954; 34(10–11): 1171–1176.
4. Stanko M, Derdáková M, Špitalská E, et al. Ticks and their epidemiological role in Slovakia: from the past till present. Biologia (Bratisl) 2021; 1–36.
5. Labuda M, Kozuch O, Zuffová E, et al. Tick-borne encephalitis virus transmission between ticks cofeeding on specific immune natural rodent hosts. Virology 1997; 235(1): 138–143.
6. Řeháček J. Transovarial transmission of tick-borne encephalitis virus by ticks. Acta Virol 1962; 6: 220–226.
7. Ličková M, Fumačová Havlíková S, Sláviková M, et al. Alimentary infections by tick-borne encephalitis virus. Viruses 2022; 14, 56.
8. Grulich I. Some principles affording the existence of natural focuses of the tick-borne encephalitis in Czechoslovakia. Zool Listy 1963; 12(4): 273–292.
9. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). [Internet]. EU case definitions: European Commission; 2018. Dostupné na: https:// ecdc.europa.eu/en/surveillance-and-disease-data/eu-case-definitions
10. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Surveillance atlas of infectious diseases [Internet]. Stockholm: ECDC 2020. Dostupné na: http://atlas.ecdc.europa.eu/public/index.aspx?Dataset=27&HealthTopic=56
11. Grešíková M. Kliešťová encefalitída. Trvalý verejno-zdravotnícky problém. Bratislava: Veda 1999.
12. Blaškovič D. Epidémia encefalitídy v rožňavskom prírodnom ohnisku nákaz. In: Sborník príspevkov o epidémii encefalitídy prenesenej mliekom a o komplexnom výskume prírodného ohniska nákaz. Bratislava: Veda 1954.
13. Libíková H, Bárdoš V, Šomodská V. Prípady encefalitíd u ľudí z okolia Rožňavy r. 1952. In: Blaškovič D (ed.). Epidémia encefalitídy v rožňavskom prírodnom ohnisku nákaz. Bratislava: Vydavateľstvo Slovenskej akadémie vied 1954: 204–216.
14. Libíková H. Virologické vyšetrenia ektoparazitov v rajóne Rožňava r. 1952. In: Blaškovič D (ed.). Epidémia encefalitídy v rožňavskom prírodnom ohnisku nákaz. Bratislava: Vydavateľstvo Slovenskej akadémie vied 1954: 253– 257.
15. Libíková H. Výskum prírodného ohniska nákaz v okolí Rožňavy r. 1952. In: Blaškovič D (ed.). Epidémia encefalitídy v rožňavskom prírodnom ohnisku nákaz. Bratislava: Vydavateľstvo Slovenskej akadémie vied 1954: 267–271.
16. Libíková H. Sérologické vyšetrenia domácich a lesných zvierat na styk s neurotropnými vírusmi. In: Blaškovič D (ed.). Epidémia encefalitídy v rožňavskom prírodnom ohnisku nákaz. Bratislava: Vydavateľstvo Slovenskej akadémie vied 1954: 217–229.
17. Raška K. Epidemiológia. Martin: Osveta 1959.
18. Blaškovič D. O výskume ohnísk nákaz v Československu. Bratisl Lek Listy 1954; 34(10–11): 1161–1165.
19. Bárdoš V, Adamcová J, Šimková A, et al. Prírodné ohnisko kliešťovej encefalitídy vo Vysokých Tatrách. Čs Epidemiol Mikrobiol Imunol 1959; 8(3): 145–152.
20. Bárdoš V, Libíková H, Mačička O, et al. Návrh smerníc boja proti šíreniu prírodne ohniskových encefalitíd prenášaných kliešťami. Bratisl Lek Listy 1954; 34(10–11): 1275–1304.
21. Kožuch O, Grešíková M, Nosek J, et al. The role of small rodents and hedgehogs in a natural focus of tick-borne encephalitis bull. Wld Hlth Org 1967; 36(Suppl 1): 61–66.
22. Bárdoš V. Experimentálna infekcia bielych myší kmeňom „O“ vírusu KE podaným per os v mlieku. Bratisl Lek Listy 1957; 37(5): 269–274.
23. Grešíková M. Vylučovanie vírusu kliešťovej encefalitídy kozím mliekom. Vet Čas 1957; 5: 177–183.
24. Grešíková M. Recovery of the tick-borne encephalitis virus from the blood and milk of subcutaneously infected sheep. Acta Virol 1958; 2: 113–119.
25. Grešíková M. Excretion of the tick-borne encephalitis virus in the milk of subcutaneously infected cows. Acta Virol 1958; 2: 188–192.
26. Blaškovič D, Grešíková-Kohútková M. Vírus kliešťovej encefalitídy v mlieku domácich zvierat a v mliečnych výrobkoch. Bratisl Lek Listy 1959; 39: 439–445.
27. Grešíková M, Sekeyová M, Stúpalová S, et al. Sheep milk-borne epidemic of tick-borne encephalitis in Slovakia. Intervirology 1975; 5: 57–61.
28. Kohl I, Grešíková M, Kohútová V, et al. Výskum prírodného ohniska kliešťovej encefalitídy v okrese Považská Bystrica. Biológia 1989; 44(3): 267– 273.
29. Zaludko J, Vrbová O, Hachlincová R, et al. Familial epidemics of tick-borne encephalitis in central Povazie. Bratisl Lek Listy 1994; 95: 523–526.
30. Grešíková M, Sláčiková M, Kožuch O. Kliešťová encefalitída na Slovensku v rokoch 1980-1984. Bratisl Lek Listy 1987; 88(3): 358–365.
31. Správa o zoonózach, alimentárnych nákazách a nákazách z vody v Slovenskej republike za rok 2020. Bratislava: Ministerstvo pôdohospodárstva a rozvoja vidieka SR 2021.
32. Grešíková M, Sekeyová M, Marcinka K, et al. Studies on preparation of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) vaccine from the Skalica strain. Acta Virologica 1986; 30(3): 243–248.
33. Výročné správy o činnosti Úradov verejného zdravotníctva SR podľa jednotlivých odborov verejného zdravotníctva za roky 2010–2020. Časť epidemiológia v rokoch 2011–2021. Bratislava: Úrad verejného zdravotníctva Slovenskej republiky.
34. Kerlik J, Avdičová M, Štefkovičová M, et al. Slovakia reports highest occurrence of alimentary tick-borne encephalitis in Europe: analysis of tick-borne encephalitis outbreaks in Slovakia during 2007–2016. Travel Med Infect Dis 2018; 26: 37–42.
Labels
Neonatology Paediatrics General practitioner for children and adolescentsArticle was published in
Czech-Slovak Pediatrics
2022 Issue Supplementum 1
Most read in this issue
- Summer-associated dermatitides in children
- Tick-borne encephalitis in Slovakia – epidemiology and history
- Drowning
- Tick-borne infections in the conditions of the Czech Republic