Klaus et al.
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) antibodies in animal sera – occurrence in goat flocks in Germany, longevity and ability to recall immunological information after more than six years.
BMC Vet. Res. 2019; 15: 399
TBE virus is mostly transmitted from ticks to humans. However, alimentary infections can also occur by unpasteurized milk and milk products. Therefore, TBE virus infection of ruminants – goats, sheep and cattle – is relevant for public health. The TBE antibody status of a flock can help to evaluate a possible risk of alimentary TBE virus infection. A total of 735 animals from 50 goat flocks from various federal states of Germany have been analyzed with regards to TBE antibodies in the period from 2013 to 2015.
This field study revealed that TBE seropositivity could only be found in single animal samples and the authors concluded that the risk for alimentary TBE virus infection from grazing animals in selected German regions is low. In a TBE positive case, it is highly recommended to test all milk and milk products from the affected flock for TBE virus.
Goats have been subcutaneously immunized with FSME-IMMUN (Baxter, now Pfizer) at week 0, 1, 3 and 11. Immunological recall could be demonstrated seven years later. Vaccination of goats and sheep could be a means to reduce the risk to acquire TBE by consuming unpasteurized milk and milk products.