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Causes of febrile illnesses after a tick bite in Slovenian children

Maja Arnez1, Tatajana Luznik-Bufon, Tatajana Avsic-Zupanc

  • 1Department of Infectious Diseases, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia. maja.arnez@kclj.si

The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
|December 23, 2003
PubMed

Insights

In Slovenian children, tick-borne illnesses like tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme borreliosis are common causes of fever after a tick bite. Over half of febrile children studied were diagnosed with a tick-borne disease.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases
  • Vector-Borne Illnesses
  • Clinical Microbiology

Background:

  • Febrile illnesses in children following tick bites require etiological investigation.
  • Understanding the spectrum of tick-borne diseases in pediatric populations is crucial for timely diagnosis and management.
  • Slovenia, with its endemic tick populations, presents a relevant setting for studying tick-borne infections.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the causative agents of febrile illnesses in Slovenian children presenting after a tick bite.
  • To identify the prevalence of specific tick-borne pathogens in this pediatric cohort.
  • To assess the diagnostic yield of various laboratory methods for tick-borne disease detection.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective study of 86 febrile children under 15 with a history of tick bite within 6 weeks.
  • Serological testing for antibodies against common tick-borne encephalitis virus, Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia chaffeensis, and others.
  • Cerebrospinal fluid analysis, blood/CSF cultures, and PCR for Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia chaffeensis detection.

Main Results:

  • Of 86 patients, 53 (62%) had tick-borne illnesses.
  • Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) was diagnosed in 64% of cases, followed by Lyme borreliosis in 46%.
  • Human monocytic ehrlichiosis (9%) and human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (4%) were also identified; 21% had co-infections.

Conclusions:

  • Tick-borne illnesses were diagnosed in 53% of Slovenian children presenting with fever post-tick bite.
  • Tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme borreliosis are the most frequent tick-borne diseases identified in this pediatric group.
  • Early diagnosis and etiological clarification are vital for managing febrile illnesses after tick exposure in children.
Abstract

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