Öz M., Çakır Kıymaz Y., Öksüz C., Bağcı B., Pektaş A. N., Turan T., ...Daha Fazla
Cumhuriyet Tıp Dergisi (ELEKTRONİK), cilt.47, sa.1, ss.22-25, 2025 (Hakemli Dergi)
Özet
ABSTARCT
Objective: The tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), a flavivirus transmitted by Ixodes spp. ticks, can cause a clinical picture characterized by nonspecific symptoms, as well as more specific conditions such as encephalitis and myelitis. Most patients admitted and followed with a preliminary diagnosis of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) are from regions with a risk of tick exposure. The aim of this study is to determine the epidemiology of TBEV.
Material and Method: A total of 272 adult patients admitted with a preliminary diagnosis of CCHF between April and September 2021 in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, XXX University, were included in the study. The diagnosis of CCHF was defined using the criteria established by the CCHF Scientific Committee of the Turkish Ministry of Health. To determine the seroprevalence of TBE, TBEV-IgG antibodies were investigated in patient serum samples using the ELISA method (Anti-TBE Virus ELISA (IgG), Euroimmun, Germany). The results were evaluated by calculating the ratio of the extinction value of the patient sample to the extinction value of calibrator 2. Ratios below 0.8 were considered negative, between 0.8 and 1.1 were considered borderline, and greater than 1.1 were considered positive. Patients with no detected antibodies against TBEV in their serum samples were considered seronegative.
Results: The mean age of the 272 patients included in the study was 49.46 ± 17.48 years (Range: 18-98 years), with 181 (66.5%) being male. All patients' TBEV antibody levels were evaluated as negative. The provinces of residence of the patients were Sivas, Giresun, Tokat, Yozgat, and Erzincan. A history of tick exposure was found in 204 (75%) of the patients, with 143 (79%) of male patients and 61 (67%) of female patients reporting tick exposure.
Conclusion: In this study, the absence of antibodies against TBEV indirectly demonstrated the absence of TBEV in the tick population. However, no study has been conducted to detect the presence of TBEV in the tick population in Sivas province, and our study is the first to address this issue. Nevertheless, further seroepidemiological studies are required.