What is TBE?
TBE is the acronym of Tick-Borne Encephalitis, a meningoencephalitis transmitted by ticks infected by a virus belonging to the genus Flavivirus : it is a viral pathology with an acute course, which mostly affects the central nervous system.
Spread of the disease
Currently, TBE is a widespread disease in Europe, particularly in Estonia, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and the former USSR: so much so that TBE has won first place among the various encephalitis generated by Flavivirus . In Austria, for example, tick-borne encephalitis is about half of all viral pathologies affecting the nervous system: just think that in 1979, 677 TBE cases were diagnosed in the Austrian country.
Even in Germany TBE is still a serious health problem: as early as 1994, as many as 289 affected patients were observed.
In Italy many cases of TBE are not currently observed, despite endemic outbreaks in Italy, especially in Belluno, Gorizia and Trento. The most problematic year for Italy was 2002, in which 19 TBE patients were registered. [statistics taken from Pediatrics. Principles and clinical practice, by G. Bartolozzi, M. Guglielmini]
Causes
TBE is caused by a single-stranded RNA virus, which is transmitted from tick to tick, via the trans-ovarian route. The virus, known as Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus or TBEV, is transmitted to humans by infected ticks, which constitute its vector; the virus reservoirs are some animals, such as rodents, sheep, goats and marmots. When the virus replication tank is the goat, the transmission of the bacteria can also take place through the intake of contaminated milk. Birds seem to play a decisive role in the spread of infected ticks even at considerable distances.
The most dangerous ticks in terms of transmission of the virus are Ixodes ricinus: these ticks spread especially in humid areas at moderate temperatures; in this regard, the potentially dangerous places to contract infection are parks, gardens, mountain trails, forests and forests. Moreover, many cases of TBE have been recorded in the spring and summer months, an indication of the fact that ticks tend to infest humans especially in these times of the year.
More in detail, the TBE virus can be transmitted to humans by tick bite in the larval, nymph or adult phase (the three vital phases of these small arachnids): the vector is anchored to the skin or hair of the man, infecting the unfortunate guest. The disease transmitted by the tick bite initially goes unnoticed: saliva is in fact considered a sort of anesthetic, therefore the bite is not painful.
TBE and Lyme disease
TBE and Lyme disease certainly represent the best known tick-borne diseases, as well as the most dangerous in terms of symptom severity: especially in recent years, these diseases have become increasingly important, in particular thanks to more diagnostic investigations thorough and rigorous. Both diseases are transmitted to humans by ticks (in particular, ticks of the genus Ixodes) and can cause symptoms of varying degrees. It is difficult to establish which of the two diseases is the most dangerous, since many factors intervene in the manifestation of symptoms: in similar situations, various elements must be considered, such as the state of health of the subject, age, the environment in which finds, the type of vector involved in the transmission of the virus, etc.
Both Lyme disease and TBE are clearly emerging diseases, especially in the Alpine areas of the North-East: both are closely related to the marked proliferation of ticks in the wooded, mountain and woodland areas, as well as to the increase in the population attending the aforementioned areas .
TBE, although widespread in Europe, affects fewer subjects than Lyme disease; however, preventive measures are the same for both diseases.
