Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease
Volume 8, Issue 4 , Pages 213-222, July 2010

Tick-borne encephalitis virus and the immune response of the mammalian host

  • Bastian Dörrbecker

      Affiliations

    • University Medical Center, Department of Virology, Kreuzbergring 57, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding authors. Tel.: +49 551 3910551; fax: +49 551 3910552.
    • ,
  • Gerhard Dobler

      Affiliations

    • Institute of Microbiology of the Armed Forces, Neuherbergstrasse 11, 80937 München, Germany
    • ,
  • Martin Spiegel

      Affiliations

    • University Medical Center, Department of Virology, Kreuzbergring 57, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding authors. Tel.: +49 551 3910551; fax: +49 551 3910552.
    • ,
  • Frank T. Hufert

      Affiliations

    • University Medical Center, Department of Virology, Kreuzbergring 57, 37075 Göttingen, Germany

Received 14 May 2010; accepted 25 May 2010. published online 28 June 2010.

Summary 

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is caused by Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), one of the most prevalent arboviruses in Europe and in many parts of Asia. Transmission of TBEV to humans usually occurs by bite of an infected tick or rarely by ingestion of unpasteurized milk products of infected livestock. TBEV infection induces an innate and adaptive immune response, nevertheless it is able to replicate in several cell types of the immune system at the same time which probably contributes to the spread of the virus in the human host. Furthermore, TBEV can enter the central nervous system (CNS) by yet not well understood mechanisms via the blood brain barrier (BBB) or the olfactory neurons which leads to serious neurological disorders like meningitis, encephalitis or even meningoencephalitis. In this article we review the known facts and possible hypotheses of interaction of TBEV with components of the mammalian immune system and their implications for TBEV-mediated pathogenesis.

Keywords: Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), Mammalian immune system, Innate and adaptive immunity

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PII: S1477-8939(10)00096-7

doi:10.1016/j.tmaid.2010.05.010

Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease
Volume 8, Issue 4 , Pages 213-222, July 2010

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