History of TBE vaccines

Tick borne encephalitis was a frequent viral CNS disease in Europe in the last century, with several hundred hospitalisation cases per year. The causative agent is tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), a flavivirus that is transmitted by ticks. The first tissue culture derived vaccine was developed in the early 1970s and this was commercialised as a collaboration between the Institute of Virology, Vienna, Austria and Immuno AG Vienna (now Baxter Healthcare). This vaccine was highly successful during the last thirty years and its use resulted in a significant reduction in the incidence of disease in central Europe, particularly Austria. A number of modifications have been made to the manufacturing process and formulation of this vaccine over this period and a second manufacturer has also entered the market. This article describes the development and modification of these vaccines over this time frame, and illustrates the efficacy of the vaccine in preventing this severe CNS disease.