Small Mammals in Sweden as Hosts of Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus and Vagrant Ectoparasites

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Abstract
A total number of 1234 small wild mammals of 11 different species were tested for the presence of neutralizing (NT) antibodies against tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus. The infestation of the animals by ticks and fleas, particularly the recognized vector of the western type of TBE virus, Ixodes ricinus, was also recorded. The material was collected from areas with varying incidence of immune cattle, 2 areas enzootic for TBE virus and another with a low frequency of infections with this virus. The frequencies of positive specimens from the endemic areas were 3 and 5%, the positive individuals being found in 6 of 10 and 3 of 5 animal species, respectively. The corresponding figure for the low infectious area was 1% and positive individuals were found in only 1 of 7 species. Animals from the endemic areas were infested to a higher degree with ticks and fleas than animals from the low infectious area.