Description:
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Tick‐borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a zoonotic virus that causes encephalitis in humans. Various deletions have been reported in a variable region of the 3′ untranslated region of the TBEV genome. This study analyzed the role of a Y‐shaped secondary structure in the pathogenicity of TBEV by using reverse genetics. Deletion of the structure increased the mortality rate of virus‐infected mice but did not affect the virus multiplication in cultured cells and organs. The results indicate that the secondary structure is involved in the regulation of TBEV pathogenesis.</jats:p>