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Vaccines
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Prevention and Control of Tick-Borne Diseases: Vaccine Development and Implementation
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Prevention and Control of Tick-Borne Diseases: Vaccine Development and Implementation

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Epidemiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2024 | Viewed by 3297

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Artur Sulik

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-089 Białystok, Poland
Interests: central nervous system infections; tick-borne diseases; parasitic diseases
Dr. Kacper Toczylowski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland
Interests: tick-borne diseases; meningitis; encephalitis; respiratory pathogens

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ticks transmit a number of microorganisms to both pets and humans. At this point, it is worth mentioning at least some that attract public attention: Borrelia species bacteria, tick-borne encephalitis virus, and Babesia parasites. Diseases caused by these pathogens are emerging in new territories in many parts of the world.

Safe and effective vaccines have been licensed for tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), while Lyme borreliosis is not yet a vaccine-preventable disease. New vaccine development is an important public health issue.

The results of numerous research projects have recently been published. Topics include current Lyme disease vaccine progress, TBE vaccination breakthrough cases, molecular aspects of TBE vaccines with relation to other Flavivirus genus vaccines, and more.

This Special Issue is dedicated to diseases that are transmitted by tick bite. Submissions could include such topics as molecular aspects of vaccine development, the immunogenicity and efficacy of vaccines, immune responses to vaccines, coverage and safety issues, etc.

We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions! 

Dr. Artur Sulik
Dr. Kacper Toczylowski
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • tick-borne diseases
  • tick-borne encephalitis
  • Lyme disease
  • ticks
  • vaccine safety
  • viral vaccine
  • immunization

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 1003 KiB  
Article
Serological Protection Rates against TBEV Infection in Blood Donors from a Highly Endemic Region in Southern Germany
by Gerhard Dobler, Kathrin Euringer, Klaus Kaier and Johannes P. Borde
Vaccines 2023, 11(3), 522; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11030522 - 23 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1347
Abstract
Background: Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is the most significant tick-borne disease in Europe and Asia, with more than 10,000 cases per year worldwide. A surge of reported TBE cases can be observed despite the availability of highly efficient vaccines. There is little known about [...] Read more.
Background: Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is the most significant tick-borne disease in Europe and Asia, with more than 10,000 cases per year worldwide. A surge of reported TBE cases can be observed despite the availability of highly efficient vaccines. There is little known about the serological immune protection rate of the population in Germany. The seroprotection rate is defined as the presence of neutralizing antibodies. In contrast, the vaccination rate, as defined by public health agencies, may differ from the true protection rate in a population. Materials and Methods: 2220 blood samples from inhabitants of the county Ortenaukreis in the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg in Germany were included in the study. These were tested for anti-TBEV IgG antibodies by an anti-TBEV-IgG-ELISA. Subsequently, all TBEV-IgG positive samples were confirmed for neutralizing antibodies in the micro serum neutralization assay. Results: From the overall 2220 samples, 2104 were included in the comparison because of the selection of specific age groups (ages 20–69). In our sample size, we found an average serological protection rate (presence of neutralizing antibodies) of 57% (518/908) for the female blood donors and of 52% (632/1196) for the male blood donors. Discussion: In this study, we present new findings on a highly endemic region in southern Germany. Additionally, we present current data regarding the serological TBEV protection rates in the Ortenaukreis in southern Germany and compare these with a dataset published by the RKI, which is based on vaccination reports of the primary care providers and health care insurers, and with a self-reporting study conducted by a vaccine manufacturer. Our results significantly exceed the official numbers of average active vaccination status by 23.2% for females and by 21% for males. This might indicate an even longer persistence of TBE-vaccination-induced antibody titers than previously assumed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prevention and Control of Tick-Borne Diseases: Vaccine Development and Implementation)
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12 pages, 1065 KiB  
Article
Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors Regarding Lyme Borreliosis Prevention in the Endemic Area of Northeastern Poland
by Marta Wozinska, Kacper Toczylowski, Dawid Lewandowski, Ewa Bojkiewicz and Artur Sulik
Vaccines 2022, 10(12), 2163; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10122163 - 16 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1547
Abstract
(1) Background: The incidence of Lyme borreliosis (LB) is increasing in Europe. The new LB vaccine is still in clinical development, thus the dissemination of knowledge about the disease is essential. We assessed the knowledge, attitudes and preventive practices (KAP) against tick-borne diseases [...] Read more.
(1) Background: The incidence of Lyme borreliosis (LB) is increasing in Europe. The new LB vaccine is still in clinical development, thus the dissemination of knowledge about the disease is essential. We assessed the knowledge, attitudes and preventive practices (KAP) against tick-borne diseases (TBDs) of people living in the endemic area in northeastern Poland. (2) Methods: We surveyed 406 adults using a 37-item anonymous paper survey. The data were analyzed with regression models. (3) Results: The two most popular knowledge sources were the Internet and doctors, selected by 77.8% and 53.4%, respectively. Respondents felt moderately knowledgeable about TBDs and tick bite prophylaxis (median scores 5/10, and 6/10, respectively), considered TBDs to be a significant health threat (median 8/10), attributed high risk to tick mouthparts remaining in the skin after tick removal (median 10/10), and shared multiple misconceptions regarding LB transmission, symptoms, and management. General knowledge scores (GKS) about TBDs and tick protection practices scores (TPS) were moderate (65.0%; IQR, 55.8–71.7%, 63.6%; 54.5–72.7%, respectively). Only 48.0% had a positive attitude towards TBE vaccination. A recent tick-bite was associated with higher GKS (OR, 2.55; 95% CI, 1.27–5.10; p = 0.008), higher TPS (OR 4.76, 95% CI, 2.0–11.1; p < 0.001), and a positive attitude towards TBE vaccine (OR 2.10, 1.07–4.10, p = 0.030). A positive vaccine attitude was also associated with obtaining TBD knowledge from doctors and other verified sources (OR, 2.654, 1.66–4.23; p < 0.001). Age, place of residence, and frequent exposure to ticks in green areas were not associated with GKS, TPS, nor vaccine attitude. (4) Conclusions: Increased risk perceptions are associated with adoption of behaviors preventing TBDs. Medical professionals play an important role in communicating knowledge about TBDs. There is a need to revise current communication strategies with respect to tick bites and prevention of LB and other TBDs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prevention and Control of Tick-Borne Diseases: Vaccine Development and Implementation)
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