The Prevalence of Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus in the Ticks and Humans of China from 2000 to 2023: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This study presents a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) prevalence in ticks and human hosts in China, published between 2000 and 2023. Extensive searches were conducted on four databases-PubMed, CNKI, VIP, and Wan Fang. The findings indicated overall pooled prevalence estimates of TBEV infection in ticks and humans of 5.8% and 9.0%, respectively. The prevalence of TBEV in ticks was 4.8% (95%CI, 4.5-7.1%) during 2000-2010 and increased to 6.3% (95%CI, 4.7-7.8%) during 2011-2023, and was mainly distributed in Jilin (13.4%; 95%CI, 8.3-18.4%) and Inner Mongolia (4.5%; 95%CI, 1.8-7.1%). The prevalence of TBEV was higher in Dermacentor silvarum than in other tick species (8.1%; 95%CI, 3.2-12.9%). The seroprevalence of TBEV in humans increased from 4.7% (95%CI, 2.9-6.4%) during 2000-2010 to 17.6% (95%CI, 11.3-23.8%) during 2011-2023. Simultaneously, the analysis results of the population characteristics showed that females, forestry workers, military personnel, and farmers were found to be susceptible, and the highest seroprevalence was noted among homemakers and unemployed individuals. There were certain differences in the seroprevalence among populations in different provinces, especially in Xinjiang and Heilongjiang. This study can provide a reference for a more comprehensive and in-depth investigation of ticks and humans infected with TBEV in China.