Investigation of a Natural Focus of Encephalitis in the "Puszcza Bialowieska" National Park

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Abstract
A national forest in Poland was studied for the presence of viruses related to the Russian tick-borne encephalitis. Encephalitis virus strains were recovered from small animals, chiefly rodents. Virus was also recovered from ticks, mosquitoes, and fleas. These strains were antigenically related to the tick-borne encephalitis. Human inhabitants in the area had positive complement-fixing titers to encephalitis virus, as did some of the domestic animals. The forest area is thus a focus of human viral encephalitis which is transmitted in all probability from a rodent reservoir by ticks and possibly also by mosquitoes and fleas. Results obtained require further study (a) to identify the isolated strains which differ from the typical strains of tick-borne encephalitis, (b) to elucidate their role in human pathology and (c) to determine the role of arthropods other than ticks in the biocenosis of tick-borne encephalitis.

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