Isolation of tick-borne encephalitis virus Far-eastern subtype and Siberian subtype in the China-Kazakhstan border area in Xinjiang / 中国人兽共患病学报

ABSTRACT

To investigate the genotype and the biological characteristics of Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) in Charles Hilary endemic foci in the China-Kazakhstan border area in Xinjiang,ticks were collected by flagging during May to June in 2012 and 2014,and were stored in liquid nitrogen.TBEV strains were isolated from tick samples by inoculating BALB/c mice and BHK-21 cells.The FE gene fragments of TBEV-Far and the S gene fragments of TBEV-Sib were detected by RT-PCR from infected mice brain tissue and BHK cells,and then subjected to sequence alignment.Totally 16 TBEV strains were isolated from Ixodes persulcatus and Dermuceuter silvarum,among 13 strains were Far eastern subtype,three strains were Siberian subtype.It was first time that the TBEV-Sib was isolated in China.The Charles Hilary TBE natural foci were in the China-Kazakhstan border area,and both TBEV-Far and TBEV-Sib co-circulated.