A case of tick-borne encephalitis in Japan and isolation of the virus

A case of tick-borne encephalitis (TEE) has not been reported for many years in Japan, although a serological survey of sera from domestic animals suggested the presence of TEE foci in Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan. Studies were conducted to prove the presence of an endemic focus of TEE virus in Japan by means of serology and virus isolation. In October 1993 in Hokkaido, a severe case of encephalitis in a dairy farmer's nife was diagnosed as TEE. Serological examination of paired serum specimens showed a rise in the neutralization antibody titer to Russian spring summer encephalitis virus. A seroepizootiological survey of dogs showed that the TEE-related virus was prevalent in the area. Three virus isolates were obtained from the blood of sentinel dogs, and antigenic analysis grouped the isolates into TEE-related viruses. Sequence analysis of the envelope protein gene identified one of the isolates as being of the same subtype as the Russian spring summer encephalitis (Far Eastern TEE) virus. The results provide evidence that TEE is endemic in a certain area of Japan.