Tick-borne encephalitis virus : a One Health approach

• Main Author: Paulsen, Katrine Mørk
• Other Authors: Granquist, Erik Georg, Andreassen, Åshild Kristine, Stuen, Snorre
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås 2020
• Subjects: Production animals; Sentinels; Co-infections; Tick-borne pathogens; Anaplasma phagocytophilum; Føre; Norway; barents region
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/11250/2670784

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a Flavivirus which is transmitted to humans and animals by tick bites, and in rare cases by consumption of unpasteurised milk and dairy products. The virus can cause the disease tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), and lead to severe infection of the central nervous system in humans and animal species such as dogs and horses. TBEV is widespread in Europe and Asia, and an increasing number of TBE cases have been reported in the recent decades, including in Norway. The aims of this Ph.D.-thesis were to study the occurrence of: antibodies against TBEV in deer and cows, TBEV in unpasteurised cow’s milk in Norway, and to study co-infection of TBEV and the bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum in lambs by an experimental study. Skogflåttencefalittvirus (TBEV) er et Flavivirus som overføres til mennesker og dyr via flåttbitt, og i sjeldne tilfeller fra inntak av upasteurisert melk og andre meieriprodukter. Viruset kan forårsake sykdommen skogflåttencefalitt (TBE) og føre til alvorlig infeksjon i sentralnervesystemet hos mennesker og dyr som hund og hest. TBEV er utbredt i Europa og Asia, og det har blitt rapportert om et økende antall TBE-tilfeller de siste tiårene, også i Norge. Hensikten med denne doktorgradsavhandlingen var å studere forekomsten av: antistoffer mot TBEV i hjortedyr og kyr, TBEV i upasteurisert kumelk i Norge, og å studere koinfeksjon av TBEV og bakterien Anaplasma phagocytophilum i lam i en eksperimentell studie. The Ph.D.-project was funded by the following projects: “HiAbove - Highly infectious arthropod borne virus encephalitis” supported by the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, “Tick-borne diseases in the Barents region and western coast of Norway” (grant number B1412) and “EMERGING INFECTIONS: Capacity building on vector-borne infections in the Barents region, Norway and Russia-phase I” (grant number B1710) supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services, “Scandtick” (grant number 167116) ...