The lifecycle consists of the tick Ixodes transmitting the virus to sheep, with occasional involvement of horses, cattle, deer, and grouse. The disease occurs in the spring and summer.
Infected animals develop a prolonged viremia and a biphasic febrile response.
This disease gets its name from the peculiar leaping gait of ataxic sheep. Control of the disease involves vaccination of lambs, dipping sheep with acaricides, and control of ticks. Tick-borne encephalitis viruses constitute a complex of 15 related flaviviruses, many of which are zoonotic pathogens. Infected dogs and livestock such as cattle, sheep, and goats are important in the spread of viruses to humans in Europe and eastern and central Asia. The flavivirus persists for a long time in ticks as the virus can be passed from one developmental stage to another.