[Comparison of 3 express-methods of detection of tick-borne encephalitis virus]

Comparative studies of the diagnostic value of three express methods for detection of tick-borne encephalitis virus in ticks (fluorescent antibody technique (FAT) enzyme immunoassay (EIA), and molecular hybridization of nucleic acids) and the traditional method (bioassay in white mice) showed all the three express methods to be rapid, specific, sensitive, and useful for large-scale epidemiological surveys. Notable was the high effectiveness of the method of nucleic acids hybridization which was not inferior to bioassays in suckling mice and exceeded FAT and EIA. The results of the latter seem to be affected by antigenic variations among tick-borne encephalitis virus strains.