Viraemia in Clethrionomys glareolus -- a new ecological marker of tick-borne encephalitis virus
Chunikhin, S.P.; Kurenkov, V.B.
Acta Virologica 23(3): 257-260
1979
ISSN/ISBN: 0001-723X PMID: 41440 Document Number: 148505
Viremia was studied in adult C. glareolus infected s.c. with 12 strains of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus isolated in western and eastern foci of TBE. Nine strains caused viremia regularly or irregularly, reaching titers higher than the threshold level of TBE virus infectivity for its vectors, ixodid ticks (2.5-4.5 log LD50/0.03 ml) and 3 strains caused lower levels of viremia (0.4-1.5 log LD50/0.03 ml). The ability or inability of various TBE virus strains to cause viremia in adult C. glareolus in titers higher than the threshold level of infectivity for tick vectors was considered as an ecological marker of TBE virus. This marker was designated Cg: Cg+ and Cg- for TBE virus strains inducing, respectively, higher and lower levels of viremia than the threshold of infectivity.