Tick-Borne flaviviruses (TBFVs) include a large number of human and animal pathogens causing severe diseases. Wild animals move across countries in search of food, new habitats, but also because of human and environmental pressures. When they migrate, they also carry ticks, enabling these to cover distances they could never do alone. Ticks, in turn, carry severe pathogens causing disease in humans. In this scenario severe diseases can rapidly change geographical distribution, and, when no treatment or vaccines are available to contrast these, they represent a dangerous health threat to society. Therefore, it is essential to develop common surveillance and diagnostic strategies that can help monitor how these diseases move and evolve.
This is the mission of the Tick-Borne Flaviviruses network research project (TBFVnet), which has created a network of associated laboratories across 6 different countries: Czech Republic, Russia, Slovakia, Norway, Sweden and Italy, who, as partners, develop and share common tools and protocols for the diagnosis of TBFVs. Moreover, the biology and pathogenesis of TBFVs disease is investigated with the purpose of testing novel antiviral drugs and, subsequently, to transfer best practices also to other neighbouring countries. The project underpins the reality that a vital part of science is collaboration.
We believe that these activities will lead to a stable cross-border network able to tackle TBFV diseases at all levels, through reliable and comparable data, while broadening a valuable network, and, in turn increasing the efficacy of research and surveillance in the field.