The first RT-qPCR confirmed case of tick-borne encephalitis in a dog in Scandinavia
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Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica Open Access
CASE REPORT
The first RT‑qPCR confirmed case of tick‑borne encephalitis in a dog in Scandinavia Elina Andersson1* , Anna Kendall1, Angelika Url2, Angelika Auer3 and Michael Leschnik4
Abstract Background: Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a zoonotic neurological disease caused by tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), a flavivirus endemic in parts of Europe and Asia. Seroconversion without signs of clinical disease is common in dogs and most of the cases previously described have been tentatively diagnosed by combining neurologic signs with serum antibody titres. Here, the first Scandinavian RT-qPCR-confirmed clinical case of TBE in a dog is reported. Case presentation: A 4-year old castrated male Pointer Labrador cross was presented with acute-onset ataxia. During hospitalisation, the dog developed seizures. Despite aggressive treatment with steroids, antimicrobials and sedation/anaesthesia, there was continued deterioration during the following 24 h after admission and the dog was euthanised and submitted for necropsy. Histopathological changes in the brain were consistent with lymphoplasmacytic and histiocytic meningoencephalomyelitis. RT-qPCR examination of the brain was positive for TBEV, confirming infection. Conclusions: Meningoencephalomyelitis caused by TBEV should be a diagnostic consideration in dogs presenting with clinical signs of central nervous system disease such as acute-onset ataxia and seizures in areas where TBEV-positive ticks are endemic. Clinical TBE may be underdiagnosed in dogs due to lack of specific testing. Keywords: Canine, Histopathology, Immunohistochemistry, Meningoencephalomyelitis, Necropsy, Pathology, Serology Background Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a zoonotic neurological disease, caused by tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) that belongs to the genus flavivirus and family Flaviviridae [1]. The virus is endemic in parts of Asia and Europe. In Scandinavia, TBEV is endemic in Sweden, Finland and parts of Denmark and Norway [1, 2] and is of major health concern in humans. In Europe, approximately 3000 human cases were reported annually between 2000 *Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Section of Pathology, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
and 2010 [2]. In Sweden, TBE case numbers in humans have increased during the last decade [3], from 174 cases in 2010 to a total of 358 cases in 2019, with a corresponding incidence of 3.46 per 100,000 inhabitants [3]. The highest incidence is around the Mälaren Valley in the region of Uppsala, reaching 9.12 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2019 [3]. The European subtype of TBEV is transmitted mainly by the tick vector Ixodes ricinus, which is active between spring and autumn [1, 4–6]. This is the main tick vector responsible for disease transmission in Sweden [1, 7]. Ixodes persul
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