Evidence of tick-borne encephalitis virus neutralizing antibodies in Serbian individuals exposed to tick bites.

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is an emerging vector-borne and food-borne disease caused by the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV; From 2019 to 2021, we conducted an observational study involving 450 patients who reported tick infestations. Our demographic analysis revealed a median age of 38 years, with a slight male predominance among the participants. We documented tick infestations in 38 municipalities across 14 districts of Serbia, with a notable concentration in proximity to Fruška Gora Mountain. The ticks most frequently removed were Our study emphasizes the urgent need for active TBE surveillance programs, especially in areas suspected of hosting TBEV foci, in order to assess the true TBE burden, identify at-risk populations, and implement effective preventive measures.

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Copyright © 2023 Banović, Mijatović, Bogdan, Simin, Meletis, Kostoulas, Resman Rus, Knap, Korva, Avšič-Županc and Cabezas-Cruz.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision.