Social Impact of Leishmaniasis, Afghanistan

occurred for 19 years. From 1959 to 1983, numerous TBEV foci existed in northeastern Germany (3). From 1960 to 1985, a total of 4 human cases were seen 10 km east of Neustrelitz. From 1983 to 1989, numerous attempts to cultivate TBEV from ticks or small mammals failed (3). In 1992, TBEV genome was detected by PCR in 3 tick pools from the island of Usedom, and in 2 pools from the Darss peninsula, 100 km northeast of Neustrelitz. From 1993 to July 2004, TBEV genome was not detected in 16,098 ticks collected from 275 regions of northeastern Germany, including the county where Lake Woblitz is situated, as part of a statewide surveillance program (State Health Services, unpub. data). However, during 2004, this county reported 24 cases of Lyme disease (2003: 10 cases; 2002: 8 cases; 2001: 1 case). Therefore, our tickborne encephalitis case might represent intensified amplification cycles of tickborne infectious agents in 2004. The absence of tickborne encephalitis cases for 20 years does not likely represent a lack of data before or a lack of interest after the reunification of Germany. Tickborne encephalitis was a reportable disease under East German regulations, and tickborne encephalitis surveillance was intensified after reunification (3). Eight weeks after our patient’s tick bite, 160 Ixodes ricinus ticks were collected from 10 pools near Lake Woblitz. RNA was isolated in 5 mol/L guanidium isothiocyanate solution, extracted by phenolchloroform, and precipitated with ethanol. cDNA was amplified by nested reverse transcription–PCR and detected by electrophoresis (6). In 2 of these pools, PCR directed towards the 5′ terminal noncoding region of the TBEV genome yielded a 104-bp fragment, but the sequence was not specific for flaviviruses. This case does not prove a northbound spread of tickborne encephalitis in northeastern Germany. Rather, it shows that after years of negative tickborne encephalitis test results in ticks, old tickborne encephalitis foci may retain activity. Thus, tickborne encephalitis should be included in the differential diagnosis of meningoencephalitis in northeastern Germany, even if the patient has not been in tickborne encephalitis–endemic areas.