In Valtellina, ticks positive for the virus responsible for meningoencephalitis were found on the carcass of a dead chamois. Parasites can transmit the disease to several species of mammals, including humans. What are the risks and symptoms of the infection.
The Ixodes ricinus tick, one of the species that can transmit the virus responsible for encephalitis. Credit: James Lindsey / wikipedia
Last April 13th the carcass of a chamois in a wooded area of Rasura, a municipality in the province of Sondrio in the heart of the Orobie Alps, in Valtellina. As a matter of practice, the remains of theanimal were subjected to laboratory investigations, the results of which were communicated in recent days by the competent bodies. The presence of parasites positive for the virus responsible for Tick-borne meningoencephalitis or TBE (acronym for Tick Borne Encephalitis), a potentially fatal disease also known as tick-borne encephalitis or spring-summer meningoencephalitis.
Following the publication of some misleading articles, theMountain ATS he specified that exams are still in progress and that positivity was only found on arthropods present on the chamois, not on the wild animal. In other words, we still don’t know whether the chamois died from the infection or not. However, the news has generated concern in the area because of the disease can be transmitted to humans. Some cases of infection have recently been found in wild and domestic animals (goats) in the province of Lecco and Bergamo, not far from Rasura.
Where tick-borne meningoencephalitis is present
Tick-borne meningoencephalitis, as explained by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), was detected for the first time in Italy in 1994 in the province of Belluno and since then a few dozen cases have been found in our country. The disease is regularly present in various areas of Asia, Russia, central, northern and eastern Europe. In April 2023, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced the first case in Great Britain. According to experts, the virus responsible for the pathology, a arbovirus single stranded RNA belonging to the genus Flaviviruseshas spread along the Alpine arc thanks to vectors, therefore the risk for humans, although low, is now no longer concentrated only in the North East, as highlighted by the recent cases recorded in fauna.
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Which ticks can transmit meningoencephalitis
Among the species of ticks capable of transmitting the virus with their bite are mainly Ixodes ricinus And Ixodes persulcatushowever, as highlighted by the ISS, also those of the genres Dermacentor and Haemaphysalis they are competent vectors, that is, they are capable of transmitting the infection. Some cases of illness have also been recorded following the consumption of unpasteurized milk, taken from positive animals. The virus can be transmitted to different species of mammals, which, by moving across the territory, transfer the infected ticks over an increasingly wider area, also increasing the risk for people.
How to protect yourself from tick bites
For those who go hiking in areas where there are disease-carrying ticks, it is advisable to stay safe paths beaten; wear long dresses (both trousers and shirts) and light in color to quickly identify any unwelcome guests; insert the ends of the trousers into the boots or in socks; and use repellent ad hoc against arthropods. Also an accurate body control after having been in risk areas it is important. Ticks often insinuate themselves into the most delicate and intimate areas. However, if you are bitten by a tick carrying the virus responsible for tick-borne meningoencephalitis, the infection will not automatically occur; the longer the parasite clings to suck blood, the greater the risk of contracting it.
Symptoms of the infection
In the vast majority of cases, as indicated by the ISS, the infection is asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic (mild symptoms), but in the remaining 30 percent they may appear similar to those of a flu syndrome and non-specific, with heachache, high fevermuscle pain, fatigue and similar. The incubation period (time of appearance after exposure to the virus) ranges from a few days to a month after the bite of the infected tick. They typically disappear within a week. In a certain percentage of people who develop symptoms, however, symptoms may emerge complications more severe, given that the pathogen can reach the central nervous system giving life to encephalitis, meningoencephalitis or meningoencephalomyelitisor inflammation of the brainfrom the meninges he was born in spinal cord (combined or not) depending on the type. Also possible convulsions And paralysis. Adults are generally more affected than children. There is no cure for the tick-borne disease, so you can proceed with it anti-inflammatories, corticosteroids and if necessary assisted breathing. However, a vaccine based on a course of three doses and boosters every three years is available.
