Tick-borne encephalitis historical perspective
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Ilan Dock, B.S.
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Overview
Historical Perspective
Early History
- Historically documented disease with appearances in 18th century Scandinavian church records.
- In 1931 tick-borne encephalitis was officially discovered and medically described the Austrian physician, H.Schneider.
Far East
- Far east expeditions for further discovery were organized by the Russian Ministry of Health in 1937, and continuing through 1939.
- Expeditions revealed the origin of the virus to be an I. persulcatus tick vector. At this point the virus was named Russian spring-summer encephalitis.
- Viral strains were first isolated by M.P. Chumakov and N.A. Zeitlenok in 1939.
- A vaccination had been developed by the year 1940.
European
- Identification of the virus occurred a mass infection within the Volkhov Front's armies in 1942 to 1943.
- Research revealed that I.ricinus was the primary tick vector of the infection.
- Viral strains were first isolated by L. Zilber in 1946.
- Zilber noted that the virus shared many common characteristics with a common virus at the time, Louping ill virus.
- Discovery in Central Europe occurred as the virus was first isolated in central Europe from Czechoslovakia patients in 1948.
- Incidence of infection increased ten fold from 1945 to 1948 in Czechoslovakia.
- Following the isolation of the virus in Czechoslovakia, many other European countries began to isolate viral strains.
- Incidence in Europe has decreased dramatically post-development of an effective vaccination.
- Prior to vaccination incidence rates were as high as 5,000 reported cases per year in the mid 1950's.
- By the mid 1960's to the 1970's these rates dramatically decreased to an estimated 1,000 cases per year.
- Incidence peaks occurred throughout Europe in 1999 with nearly 10,000 cases that year.
- Two more peaks occurred in 1993 and 1996 with incidence escalating from 7,500 cases per year in 1993 to nearly 11,000 cases per year in 1996.
Asia
- Strains of the virus had been isolated in Northern China and Japan between the late 1940's and early 1950's.
- Recently strains have been isolated in parts of South Korea.
Recent outbreaks
- An outbreak recently occurred in the Czech Republic, infecting 22 people. The outbreak was a result of infected sheep cheese consumption.
- In 2007 an outbreak occurred in Hungary, infecting 25 patients and exposing 154. The outbreak was a result of infected goat cheese consumption.