Jung et al.
Molecular detection and phylogenetic analysis of tick-borne encephalitis virus from ticks collected from cattle in Kyrgyzstan, 2023. Viruses. 2024; 16(1):107. DOI:10.3390/v16010107
Little is known about tick-borne diseases in the mountainous landlocked country Kyrgyzstan. A study has been carried out to investigate the prevalence of TBE virus in ticks in Kyrgyzstan. Fully engorged ticks (mostly Ixodes persulcatus) were detached from cows grazing in the Kemin region in Chuy province (northern Kyrgyzstan) in May 2023.
Phylogenetic analyses using glycoprotein E and NS5 genes revealed the Siberian subtype of TBE virus which has a high level of homology to the Bosnian strain, that was first identified in the Balkan region.
Investigations of TBE virus in the southern region of Kyrgyzstan remain limited and further tick surveillance in this region is warranted, as well as in the Central Asian countries of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.