Halt, encephalitis fires!

S. E. Tkachev

In the list of the vectors of human communicable diseases, ticks occupy the second position after mosquitoes: at least 3 viral, 22 bacterial, and several protozoan infections transmitted by ixodid ticks have been detected so far. The situation is often complicated by the fact that biting ticks are capable of transmitting to humans concurrently various species of bacteria, viruses and protozoan, thereby causing mixed infections, which often have a more severe course. Potential circulation of the pathogens in agricultural animals and pets (for example, infectious agents can remain in dairy products), as well as blood transfusion and organ transplantations bring about additional risks of infection.

The most dangerous of the tickborne infections are tick-borne encephalitis, ixodid tick-borne borreliosis, ehrlichiosis, rickettsiosis, and babesiosis. The most socially important pathogens for Russia are borrelia and, of course, tick-borne encephalitis virus, which is portrayed below

More information on these and other subjects you can find in the printed version of our journal.