Browsing by Person "Lindau, Alexander"

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    The emergence and dynamics of tick-borne Encephalitis Virus in a new endemic region in Southern Germany
    (2022) Lang, Daniel; Chitimia-Dobler, Lidia; Bestehorn-Willmann, Malena; Lindau, Alexander; Drehmann, Marco; Stroppel, Gabriele; Hengge, Helga; Mackenstedt, Ute; Kaier, Klaus; Dobler, Gerhard; Borde, Johannes
    Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is the most important viral tick-borne infection in Europe and Asia. It is emerging in new areas. The mechanisms of emergence are fairly unknown or speculative. In the Ravensburg district in southern Germany, TBE emerged, mainly over the last five years. Here, we analyzed the underlying epidemiology in humans. The resulting identified natural foci of the causal TBE virus (TBEV) were genetically characterized. We sampled 13 potential infection sites at these foci and detected TBEV in ticks (Ixodes ricinus) at eight sites. Phylogenetic analysis spurred the introduction of at least four distinct TBEV lineages of the European subtype into the Ravensburg district over the last few years. In two instances, a continuous spread of these virus strains over up to 10 km was observed.
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    Publication
    Untersuchung viraler, zoonotischer Erreger in Baden-Württemberg
    (2019) Lindau, Alexander; Mackenstedt, Ute
    Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is the most common tick-borne viral infection in Germany. Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) belongs to the family Flaviviridae and is transmitted either directly by tick bites or by the alimentary route, which means by contaminated food. The main reservoir hosts of TBEV are the yellow-necked mouse and the bank vole, which is also the main reservoir host for the rodent-borne Hanta viruses. Infections with Hanta virus are mainly acquired by inhaling of aerosols of urine and faeces of infected individuals. The most common type of Hanta viruses in Southern Germany is the Puumala type. Hanta-virus infections as well as TBE infections are notifiable diseases in Germany. For both diseases the amount of registered cases per year vary between years in a contrary pattern. To be able to evaluate possible risks of TBEV for humans, it is very important to know detailed information about the epidemiology, spreading of the viruses, as well as their hosts and the viruses themselves. Therefore, the presence of TBEV-foci, as well as the breakdown into micro- and macrofoci was addressed. Additionally, the prevalence of Hantavirus in rodents was studied.