Pathogen of the Week:

Tick-Borne Encephalitis

By Amber Hsiao | Wednesday, March 22, 2006

For those of you that are avid rural-area hikers, or if you happen to love drinking that cold glass of raw goat, sheep or cow milk, be advised that you may become infected with the tickborne encephalitis virus (TBEV).

While the usual hosts of the virus are small rodents, human can accidentally become hosts as well. There are no cases of person-to-person transmission, but consuming milk from infected animals, or being bitten by a virus-carrying tick can lead to infection.

Those who become infected with TBEV may manifest meningitis, encephalitis, or meningoencephalitis. All three conditions involve some sort of inflammation of the central nervous system (CNS).

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is usually referred to as a neurologic disease, with permanent long-term injuries to the nervous system in 10–20 percent of infected patients.

The symptoms may seem drastic, but the condition will remain asymptomatic for 7 to 14 days. But for raw milk drinkers, incubation time is shorter—probably fortunately so, in order for treatment to take place sooner. Symptoms of TBE contraction include fever, anorexia, muscle aches, headache, nausea, vomiting.

Following this not-so-pleasant 2- to 4-day initial phase, 20–30 percent of infected people experience symptoms that affect the CNS, such as a stiff neck, motor abnormalities, and confusion. Worse yet, mortality is in 1–2 percent of cases, with death occurring 5–7 days after onset of the second phase.

The disease may seem frightening, but luckily, the majority of patients do not exhibit symptoms past the initial phase. While there is no specific drug therapy treatment for those with TBE, hospitalization and supportive care can provide relief.

But even then, TBE is found mostly in parts of Europe, the former Soviet Union and Asia. If traveling to these areas though, ticks that are chronically infected with the virus most often infect humans between April and November, mostly through tick bites. Being more careful during tick season by wearing proper clothing and using insect repellents can prevent any unpleasant, virus-containing bites from occurring.

As with all possible incidences of catching viruses, proper care should be taken to prevent contraction. The last thing you want is to fall into a sudden lapse of mental confusion while writing your next paper!

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PHOTO // Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

Originally appeared in the Daily Californian, Science-Technology section. See the original article.