VIREMIA IN PATIENTS WITH TICK-BORNE ENCEP HALITIS AND IN PATIENTS WITH SUCKING IXODIDAE TICKS

Art original method of virus isolation developed by the authors made i t possible to collect 64 strains of lick-borne encephalitis (TBE) viru s isolated from the blood of TBE patients and subjects complaining of sucking Ixodidae ticks. It is demonstrated that only a small part of t he tick natural population cause acute TBE. The majority of the strain s (54 isolates) of TBE virus have been isolated from the blood of clin ically healthy subjects. Half of the strains showed no immunogenic pro perties in human body. Season infectivity corresponds to monthly virus ophority of the ticks.