Molecular and Serological Investigation of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus in Cats

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease that is a severe threat to public health considering its high fatality and person-to-person transmission. In order to obtain an updated and deep understanding of the epidemiological characteristics of SFTS in mainland China, we used Pearson’s chi-squared test to compare the fatality rate and demographic characteristics in different groups. Data were analyzed in R3.6.1 (R Development Core Team 2018), while the visualization was performed in ArcGIS 10 (ESRI, Redlands, CA, USA), and the statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. A total of 13,824 SFTS cases involving 8899 lab-confirmed cases and 4925 probable cases were reported and included in the epidemiological analysis. Our study found that the number of SFTS cases showed an increasing trend with a small decrease in the past three years. The laboratory-confirmed rate was about 64.4%, which varied between different years and areas. Although most cases (99.3%) were distributed in 7 provinces (Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Hubei, Liaoning, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu), the regional distribution of SFTS gradually expanded from 5 provinces in 2010 to 25 provinces by 2019, especially at the town level. The SFTS cases were mainly sporadic. A total of 96.5% occurred from April to October, and 93.3% of cases were concentrated in middle-aged and elderly people (40–84 years old). Farmers were the main high-risk population. Female cases were slightly more than male cases; however, there were differences between different provinces. The mortality rate showed an increasing trend with age. Overall, the SFTS cases were mainly middle-aged and elderly farmers that sporadically distributed throughout seven provinces with a spatially expanding trend. The laboratory-confirmed rate varied in different years and provinces, which implied that the diagnosis and report criteria for SFTS should be further updated and unified in order to get a better understanding of its epidemiological characteristics and provide scientific data for SFTS control.

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Fludarabine Inhibits Infection of Zika Virus, SFTS Phlebovirus, and Enterovirus A71

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v13050774 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 774

Author(s):

Chengfeng Gao ◽

Chunxia Wen ◽

Zhifeng Li ◽

Shuhan Lin ◽

Shu Gao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Broad Spectrum ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Therapeutic Agent ◽

Viral Infections ◽

Rna Virus ◽

Emerging Viruses ◽

Enterovirus A71 ◽

Ic50 Values ◽

High Doses ◽

Severe Fever

Viral infections are one of the leading causes in human mortality and disease. Broad-spectrum antiviral drugs are a powerful weapon against new and re-emerging viruses. However, viral resistance to existing broad-spectrum antivirals remains a challenge, which demands development of new broad-spectrum therapeutics. In this report, we showed that fludarabine, a fluorinated purine analogue, effectively inhibited infection of RNA viruses, including Zika virus, Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus, and Enterovirus A71, with all IC50 values below 1 μM in Vero, BHK21, U251 MG, and HMC3 cells. We observed that fludarabine has shown cytotoxicity to these cells only at high doses indicating it could be safe for future clinical use if approved. In conclusion, this study suggests that fludarabine could be developed as a potential broad-spectrum anti-RNA virus therapeutic agent.

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Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome in Cats and Its Prevalence among Veterinarian Staff Members in Nagasaki, Japan

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v13061142 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 1142

Author(s):

Tsuyoshi Ando ◽

Takeshi Nabeshima ◽

Shingo Inoue ◽

Mya Myat Ngwe Tun ◽

Miho Obata ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Cultures ◽

Phylogenetic Analyses ◽

The Body ◽

Virus Growth ◽

Specific Antibodies ◽

Staff Members ◽

Zoonotic Risk ◽

Sentinel Animals ◽

Animal Care ◽

Severe Fever

In this study, we investigated severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) virus (SFTSV) infection in cats in Nagasaki, Japan. In total, 44 of 133 (33.1%) cats with suspected SFTS were confirmed to be infected with SFTSV. Phylogenetic analyses of SFTSV isolates from cats indicated that the main genotype in Nagasaki was J1 and that unique reassortant strains with J2 (S segment) and unclassified genotypes (M and L segments) were also present. There were no significant differences in virus growth in cell cultures or fatality in SFTSV-infected mice between the SFTSV strains that were isolated from recovered and fatal cat cases. Remarkably, SFTSV RNAs were detected in the swabs from cats, indicating that the body fluids contain SFTSV. To evaluate the risk of SFTSV infection when providing animal care, we further examined the seroprevalence of SFTSV infection in veterinarian staff members; 3 of 71 (4.2%) were seropositive for SFTSV-specific antibodies. Our results provide useful information on the possibility of using cats as sentinel animals and raised concerns of the zoonotic risk of catching SFTSV from animals.

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Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis is a frequent complication in patients with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome: A retrospective study

International Journal of Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1016/j.ijid.2021.02.088 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 105 ◽

pp. 646-652

Author(s):

Ying Xu ◽

Mingran Shao ◽

Ning Liu ◽

Jian Tang ◽

Qin Gu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Retrospective Study ◽

Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis ◽

Pulmonary Aspergillosis ◽

Frequent Complication ◽

Severe Fever

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Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Associated with Manual De-Ticking of Domestic Dogs

Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases ◽

10.1089/vbz.2019.2463 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 285-294

Author(s):

Jae Keun Chung ◽

Choon Mee Kim ◽

Dong-Min Kim ◽

Na-Ra Yun ◽

Jung Wook Park ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Domestic Dogs ◽

Severe Fever

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Nationwide Temporal and Geographical Distribution of Tick Populations and Phylogenetic Analysis of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus in Ticks in Korea, 2020

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms9081630 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. 1630

Author(s):

Min-Goo Seo ◽

Byung-Eon Noh ◽

Hak Seon Lee ◽

Tae-Kyu Kim ◽

Bong-Goo Song ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tick Species ◽

Temporal Distribution ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Haemaphysalis Longicornis ◽

Geographical Regions ◽

Control And Prevention ◽

Amblyomma Testudinarium ◽

High Degree ◽

Severe Fever ◽

Minimum Infection Rate

Since 2010, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has established centers at 16 locations to monitor disease vectors and pathogens. Here, we examined tick populations to understand the geographical and temporal distribution of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) vectors in 2020. From April to November, 63,376 ticks were collected from traps to monitor tick populations, with a trap index of 41.3. Tick incidence varied from April to October, with population peaks observed for nymphs in May, adults in July, and larvae in September. The predominant tick species were Haemaphysalis longicornis, Haemaphysalis spp., H. flava, Ixodes spp., Amblyomma testudinarium, and Ixodes nipponensis. Approximately 50% of the collected ticks were pooled into 2973 groups to detect the rate of SFTSV infection in ticks. The minimum infection rate (MIR) of SFTSV was 0.2%, and Andong had the highest MIR for SFTSV (4.0%). The B3 genotype was the most prevalent (52.2%) followed by B2 (28.6%), B5 (15.9%), B4 (1.6%), and B6 (1.6%). We identified widely distributed tick species and a high degree of diversity in SFTSV strains in ticks from different geographical regions. The results may provide a basis for future epidemiological studies and risk assessments for tick-borne diseases.

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