Molecular Detection and Phylogenetic Analysis of Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus in Rodents Captured in the Transdanubian Region of Hungary

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) infection is a common zoonotic disease affecting humans in Europe and Asia. To determine whether TBEV is present in small mammalian hosts in Hungary, liver samples of wild rodents were tested for TBEV RNA. Over a period of 7 years, a total of 405 rodents were collected at five different geographic locations of the Transdanubian region. TBEV nucleic acid was identified in four rodent species: Apodemus agrarius, A. flavicollis, Microtus arvalis, and Myodes glareolus. Out of the 405 collected rodents, 17 small mammals (4.2%) were positive for TBEV. The present study provides molecular evidence and sequence data of TBEV from rodents in Hungary.