Abstract

Background

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEv) is a flavivirus that circulates in a complex cycle involving small mammals as amplifying hosts and ticks as vectors and reservoirs. The current study aimed to investigate the presence of TBEv in Tunisian sheep. A sample of 263 adult sheep were selected from 6 localities where Ixodes ricinus is well established. Sera were screened using ELISA for TBEv IgG detection, then the doubtful and positive sera were tested by the seroneutralisation test (SNT) and screened for West Nile Virus (WNv) IgG for cross-reaction assessment.

Results

The ELISA for TBEv IgG detected one positive serum and 17 borderlines. The SNT showed one positive serum among the 18 tested, giving an overall antibody prevalence of 0.38% (95% CI = 0.07–2.12%). All but one serum tested negative to WNv ELISA. None of the sheep farmers reported neurological signs among sheep or humans in their households.

Conclusions

The results may indicate the circulation of TBEv for the first time in Tunisia and in North Africa. Further studies based on either virus isolation or RNA detection, are needed to confirm the presence of TBEv in North Africa.

Details

Title
Presence of antibodies against tick-borne encephalitis virus in sheep in Tunisia, North Africa
Author
Khbou, Médiha Khamassi  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Romdhane, Rihab; Asma Amina Foughali; Sassi, Limam; Suin, Vanessa; Rekik, Mourad; M’hammed Benzarti
Pages
1-8
Section
Research article
Publication year
2020
Publication date
2020
Publisher
BioMed Central
e-ISSN
17466148
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-020-02651-6
ProQuest document ID
2462207633
Copyright
© 2020. This work is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.