Tick-Borne ENcephAlitis in GERmany beschäftigt sich mit der Virologie, Öko-Epidemiologie, Pathogenese und Immunologie der FSME mit dem Ziel die Zahl der menschlichen Erkrankungsfälle in Deutschland durch verbesserte Überwachung und Kontrolle sowie gezieltere Impfempfehlungen zu reduzieren.
Aims
TBENAGER is an interdisciplinary consortium of medical doctors, veterinary surgeons, epidemiologists, virologists, parasitologists, biologists and population geneticists with the aim of better understanding the various aspects of natural transmission, the pathogenesis of the TBE virus, the epidemiology of TBE, the immunology and immunoprophylaxis of the disease in humans and animals, which are important for human TBE disease. The ecological results obtained should be used for the intervention of natural herds. The epidemiological data should enable the public health service to provide better advice and thus contribute to a reduction in the incidence of TBE disease through better surveillance.
TBE epidemiology and disease surveillance
Implementation of active monitoring and a prospective outreach epidemiological study in TBE patients with the question of the "disease burden" of TBE (detailed clinical severity of diseases, significance of objective and subjective long-term consequences after undergoing TBE); identification of risk factors for infection and for particular forms of progression; significance of TBE for pets;
Identification of hitherto unknown natural flocks/TBE risk areas in the context of the monitoring of the increased incidence of TBE cases by public health authorities; analysis of local epidemiological risk factors for TBE as a basis for more targeted vaccination advice and prevention measures by the ÖGD
Experimental infection of ticks and rubella mice with TBE virus strains from different natural foci and with different pathogenicity; significance of the virus type for the replication of the virus in ticks and rodents as a basis for the transmission of the TBE virus in the focal natural foci; significance of the rodent and tick population for the transmission of the TBE virus; significance of virus infections in ticks and rubella mice on the vector-host behaviour;
Detection of previously unknown natural TBE virus outbreaks; characterization of the synecology of selected natural foci including tick infestation, incidence of infections in wildlife populations and dynamics of infection in natural foci as a basis for the development of an ecological niche model of the TBE virus;
Further characterization of circulating TBE virus strains; phylogeographic characterization of TBE viruses; geographical spread of TBE; analysis of the pathogenetic potential of different TBE virus strains;
Issues dealt with by the TBENAGER network
Burden of disease: How severe is TBE in Germany? How many patients show CNS symptoms and why are patients without CNS symptoms hospitalized? Which epidemiological risk factors cause mild or severe forms of the disease in humans; How long are TBE patients hospitalised? Which clinical symptoms occur after acute symptoms (with or without CNS symptoms) and how long do they last?
Immunology: What role does the human immune system play in the severity of TBE symptoms? Why do some patients fall ill very severely and some only slightly or not at all? Why does a small number of perosns become ill despite having been vaccinated against TBE? Which immunological factors are important for protection against TBE infection?
Epidemiology: Where does TBE occur and why do TBE cases occur there in particular? Why are there districts with a high incidence and are sociological or ecological factors responsible? Where do human and animal cases of TBE occur? Are they imported cases or newly established natural herds?
Ecology: How does the natural transmission cycle in nature work? Which environmental factors are important for the formation of a natural TBE cycle? What host and vector relationships are necessary for the emergence and maintenance of a TBE natural cycle? Are specific vector and host species and/or genetic populations responsible for the formation of a natural cycle?
Virology: Which TBE virus strains occur in Germany? Are there differences in the pathogenicity of TBE virus strains within a natural flock and in different natural flocks? What significance do in vitro differences in pathogenesis have for human disease? How do TBE viruses spread geographically?
Monitoring and prevention How can knowledge of TBE natural outbreaks lead to more targeted prevention strategies for the TBE epidemic? How can more detailed epidemiological data (e.g. risk behaviour, spatial and temporal particular infection risk) be used for better prevention strategies? Can ecological data be used for a local natural focus elimination strategy? With the understanding of the eco-epidemiological relationships, is it possible to predict the development of new TBE foci and thus the spread of TBE?
Coordination
PD Dr. med. Gerhard Dobler
National Consiliary laboratory for TBE
Institut für Mikrobiologie der Bundeswehr
Neuherbergstrasse 11
80937 München
email: gerharddobler(at)bundeswehr.org; gerharddobler(at)msn.com
Tel.: +49 (0)89 9926 923 974
TP 1
Dr. Wiebke Hellenbrand
Robert-Koch-Institut, Berlin
Dr. Christiane Wagner Wiening
Landesamt für Gesundheit, Stuttgart
Dr. Merle Böhmer
Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit, Oberschleißheim
lntensivierte Surveillance der Frühsommer-Meningoenzephalitis in Deutschland
TP 2
Prof. Dr. Ute Mackenstedt
FG Parasitologie, Universität Hohenheim, Stuttgart
Ökologische Charakterisierung und biologische Bekämpfung von FSME-Foci und vergleichende Verhaltensuntersuchungen von FSME-positiven und FSME-negativen Ixodes Zecken
TP 3
PD Dr. Gerhard Dobler
Institut für Mikrobiologie der Bundeswehr, München
FSME-Naturherde in Bayern und Virus-Charakterisierung von FSME-Viren in Deutschland
TP 4
Prof. Dr. Martin Pfeffer
Institut für Tierhygiene und Öffentliches Veterinärwesen, Universität Leipzig
Das FSME-Virus in der Vektorzecke und Tiere im Naturherd – Vergleich von Virusprävalenz in der Zecke mit den Seroprävalenzen in Haus-, Nutz und Wildtieren
TP 5
Prof. Dr. Ralph Kühn
Institut für Zoologie, Technische Universität München
Populationsgenetische Charakterisierung von Zecken und Nagetieren in FSME-Naturherden
TP 6
Prof. Dr. Stephanie Becker
Forschungszentrum für Neuauftretende Infektionen und Zoonosen, Tiermedizinische Hochschule Hannover
Experimentelle Infektion von Ixodes ricinus mit FSME-Virus
TP 7
Prof. Dr. Martin Beer
Institut für Virusdiagnostik, Friedrich-Löffler-Institut für Tiergesundheit, Insel Riems
Experimentelle Infektion von Rötelmäusen mit dem FSME-Virus
TP 8
Prof. Dr. Andrea Kröger
Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg
Einfluss der FSME-Virus-Virulenz auf die Neuroinvasion und Neuropathologie
TP 9
Prof. Dr. Albert Osterhaus
Forschungszentrum für Neuauftretende Infektionen und Zoonosen, Tiermedizinische Hochschule Hannover
Einfluss der FSME-Viren und der T-Zell-immunität auf die FSME-Erkrankung in Menschen und Tieren
- Dr. Mazyar Monazahian, VPD Dr. Johannes Borde, Niedergelassener Arzt, Oberkirch
- Dr. Andreas Matzarakis, Zentrum für Medizin-Meteorologische Forschung, Deutscher Wetterdienst Freiburg
- Dr. Klaus Kaier, Institut für Medizinische Biometrie und Statistik, Universität Freiburg
- Prof. Dr. Beierkuhnlein, Institut für Geographie, Universität Bayreuth
- Prof. Dr. Anna Överby, Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie , Universität Umea, Schweden
- Prof. Dr. Franz Rubel, Institut für Öffentliches Veterinärwesen, Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien, Österreich
- Prof. Dr. Karin Stiasny, Institut für Virologie, Medizinische Universität Wien, Österreich
- Dr. Muriel Coulpier, Institut für Virologie, Veterinärmedizinische Hochschule Paris-Alford, Frankreich