Ph.d.student: Nanna Skaarup Andersen
Project title: Tick-borne Flavivirus in Denmark.
Main supervisor: Professor, DMSci, Hans Jørn Kolmos, Department of Clinical Microbiology, Odense University Hospital
Project supervisor: Clin. Ass. Prof. Sigurdur Skarphedinsson, MD, PhD, Department of Infectious Medicine, Odense University Hospital
Additional supervisor: Ass. Prof Per Moestrup Jensen, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, "Zoologi og Botanik", University of Copenhagen
Projektbeskrivelse: The geographical pattern of TBE in Europe is heterogeneous and not only is the incidence increasing in known endemic regions, but the virus also seems to be establishing new foci in regions not known previously as TBE endemic. In Denmark TBE has been known to be endemic on the island of Bornholm. Previous sentinel studies have indicated the presence of TBE outside Bornholm in Denmark and this was further verified in 2009 when 2 patients were found to be infected with TBE virus obtained in an area of North Zealand.
This project wishes to map and characterise Tick-born flavivirus in Denmark. The hypothesis is that tick-borne flavivirus is not only endemic on the island of Bornholm but in local foci in all of Denmark.