How many tick tests are done for encephalitis? - briefly
Typically, clinicians order one to two laboratory assays for tick‑borne pathogens (e.g., Lyme PCR, Babesia PCR, or Ehrlichia serology) when evaluating encephalitis, and the exact panel depends on regional exposure and clinical suspicion.
How many tick tests are done for encephalitis? - in detail
Tick‑borne encephalitis (TBE) diagnosis relies on a series of laboratory assays. The standard work‑up typically includes:
- Serologic screening – an enzyme‑linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for IgM and IgG antibodies against TBE virus. This is performed on all patients with suspected infection.
- Confirmatory neutralization test – a plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) or virus neutralization assay, ordered when ELISA results are equivocal or when vaccination status must be distinguished from natural infection.
- Molecular detection – reverse‑transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‑PCR) on blood or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) during the early viremic phase; used in a minority of cases because viral RNA is often undetectable after the first week.
- CSF analysis – routine cell count, protein, glucose, and intrathecal antibody synthesis; performed in every patient with neurologic signs.
- Repeat serology – a second ELISA performed 7–14 days after the initial sample to document seroconversion or rising antibody titers; required when the first sample is taken within the first 5 days of symptom onset.
In practice, a single patient usually undergoes three distinct assays: an initial ELISA, a CSF panel, and a follow‑up ELISA. If the first ELISA is borderline, a neutralization test is added, raising the total to four. RT‑PCR is applied in less than 10 % of cases, primarily in early presentations.
Epidemiologic data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) show that, across the European Union and European Economic Area, approximately 120 000 serologic tests for TBE are performed annually. The distribution of test types in that cohort is:
- Initial ELISA – 100 % of cases.
- Confirmatory neutralization – 22 % of initial positives.
- Follow‑up ELISA – 68 % of initial positives.
- RT‑PCR – 8 % of total tests.
These figures illustrate that the diagnostic pathway typically involves two to three laboratory procedures per patient, with additional confirmatory assays in a subset of cases. The overall testing volume reflects both clinical suspicion and public‑health surveillance programs that mandate reporting of every positive result.