Serological investigations on the presence of antibodies to tick-borne encephalitis virus in domestic animals and birds and in humans.

The presence of hemagglutination-inhibiting antibodies to tick-borne encephalitis virus was investigated in serum samples from domestic animals (217 from swine, 214 from cattle, 179 from goats and 161 from sheep) and birds (214 from geese and 171 from ducks), as well as from 511 apparently healthy subjects of a biotope with particular ornithological and entomological characteristics. The proportion of positive reactions was very low in cattle (1.4%) and goats (1.1%) and more elevated in humans (11.3%). All the serum samples from swine, sheep, geese and ducks gave negative serological results.