Petra Bogovič (Author), Stanka Lotrič-Furlan (Author), Tatjana Avšič-Županc (Author), Miša Korva (Author), Lara Lusa (Author), Klemen Strle (Author), Franc Strle (Author)

Abstract

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is associated with a range of disease severity. The reasons for this heterogeneity are not clear. Levels of serum IgG antibodies to TBE virus (TBEV) were determined in 691 adult patients during the meningoencephalitic phase of TBE and correlated with detailed clinical and laboratory parameters during acute illness and with the presence of post-encephalitic syndrome (PES) 2–7 years after TBE. Specific IgG antibody levels ranged from below cut-off value (in 32/691 patients, 4.6%), to 896 U/mL (median = 37.3 U/mL). Patients with meningoencephalomyelitis were more often seronegative (24.3%; 9/37) than those with meningoencephalitis (4.7%; 20/428) or meningitis (1.3%; 3/226). Moreover, patients with antibody levels below cut-off had longer hospitalization (13 versus 8 days); more often required intensive care unit treatment (22% versus 8%) and artificial ventilation (71% versus 21%); and had a higher fatality rate (3/32; 9.4% versus 1/659; 0.2%) than seropositive patients. These results were confirmed when antibody levels, rather than cut-off values, were correlated with clinical parameters including the likelihood to develop PES. Low serum IgG antibody responses against TBEV at the onset of neurologic involvement are associated with a more difficult clinical course and unfavorable long-term outcome of TBE, providing a diagnostic and clinical challenge for physicians.

Keywords

tick-borne encephalitis;humoral immune response;serum IgG antibodies;course;outcome;

Data

Language: English
Year of publishing:
Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
Organization: UL MF - Faculty of Medicine
UDC: 616.9
COBISS: 51124995 Link will open in a new window
ISSN: 2076-2607
Views: 164
Downloads: 52
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Other data

Type (COBISS): Article
Pages: str. 1-12
Volume: ǂVol. ǂ9
Issue: ǂiss. ǂ2
Chronology: 2021
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9020332
ID: 14554087