Summary: Researchers have identified specific anti-bodies that can have a neutralizing effect on the virus responsible for tick-borne encephalitis. Preliminary response in using the anti-bodies in mice has proven affected in preventing TBE. It is hoped a vaccine candidate for TBE can be developed for humans.

Source: Rockefeller University.

Tick-borne encephalitis is a disease just as nasty as it sounds. Once bitten by an infected tick, some people develop flu-like symptoms that resolve quietly but leave behind rampant neurological disease–brain swelling, memory loss, and cognitive decline. Cases are on the rise in Central Europe and Russia with some 10000 incidents reported each year. Vaccines can provide protection, but only for a limited time. There is no cure.