A controlled trial of tick-borne encephalitis vaccination in patients with multiple sclerosis

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate a possible link between a single vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and the appearance of one or more new cerebral lesions in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and/or a clinical relapse of MS. Fifteen MS patients with documented history of MS relapses living in a TBE endemic area were matched with 15 patients selected from a patient database containing 500 cases of MS. Three patients in each group were unvaccinated while all others had basic immunisation and regular booster vaccinations. Patients of the vaccination group received a single dose (3.3 microg) of a TBE vaccine. TBE antibodies were detected by ELISA and confirmed by neutralisation test. MRI was used as marker for disease activity and progression in addition to the clinical neurological examination. No association was seen between TBE vaccination and MRI detected disease activity, clinical relapse or disease progression of MS.