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Lamsal A, Tryland M, Paulsen KM, Romano JS, Nymo IH, Stiasny K, Soleng A, Vikse R, Andreassen ÅK. Serological screening for tick-borne encephalitis virus in eight Norwegian herds of semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus). Zoonoses Public Health 2023; 70:692-698. [PMID: 37259822 DOI: 10.1111/zph.13060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is found in Ixodes ricinus ticks throughout the area where viable tick populations exist. In Norway, TBEV is found in I. ricinus from the south coast until Brønnøy municipality in Nordland County and the range of the vector is expanding due to changes in climate, vegetation, host animals and environmental conditions. TBEV might thus have the potential to establish in new areas when I. ricinus expand its geographical distribution. At present, there is little knowledge on the status of the virus in high-altitude areas of inland regions in Norway. It has previously been indicated that reindeer may be an important sentinel species and indicator of the spread of ticks and TBEV in high-altitude regions. In this study, 408 semi-domesticated Eurasian tundra reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) from eight herds, from Tana in Troms and Finnmark County in northern Norway to Filefjell in Innlandet and Viken Counties in southern Norway, were screened for TBEV antibodies using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We found 16 TBEV reactive reindeer samples by ELISA; however, these results could not be confirmed by the serum neutralization test (SNT). This could indicate that a flavivirusand not necessarily TBEV, may be circulating among Norwegian semi-domesticated reindeer. The results also indicate that TBEV was not enzootic in Norwegian semi-domesticated reindeer in 2013-2015. This knowledge is important as an information base for future TBEV and flavivirus surveillance in Norway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alaka Lamsal
- Department of Virology, Division for Infection Control and Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health, Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, Campus Bø, Norway
| | - Morten Tryland
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Evenstad, Norway
| | - Katrine M Paulsen
- Department of Virology, Division for Infection Control and Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Javier Sánchez Romano
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- Department of Medical Biology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Ingebjørg H Nymo
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- Section for Food Safety and Animal Health, The Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Karin Stiasny
- Center for Virology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Arnulf Soleng
- Department of Pest Control, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Rose Vikse
- Department of Virology, Division for Infection Control and Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Åshild K Andreassen
- Department of Virology, Division for Infection Control and Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health, Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, Campus Bø, Norway
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