Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a tick-borne infection. Signs and symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of consciousness and heamorrhage. It is an

emerging infectious disease An emerging infectious disease (EID) is an infectious disease whose incidence has increased recently (in the past 20 years), and could increase in the near future. The minority that are capable of developing efficient transmission between human ...

caused by ''

Dabie bandavirus ''Dabie bandavirus'', also called SFTS virus, is a tick-borne virus in the genus '' Bandavirus'' in the family ''Phenuiviridae'', order ''Bunyavirales''. The clinical condition it caused is known as severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome ( ...

'' also known as the SFTS virus, first reported between late March and mid-July 2009 in rural areas of Hubei and Henan provinces in Central China. SFTS has fatality rates ranging from 12% to as high as 30% in some areas. The major clinical symptoms of SFTS are fever, vomiting, diarrhea,

multiple organ failure Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is altered organ function in an acutely ill patient requiring medical intervention to achieve homeostasis. Although Irwin and Rippe cautioned in 2005 that the use of "multiple organ failure" or "multisy ...

thrombocytopenia Thrombocytopenia is a condition characterized by abnormally low levels of platelets, also known as thrombocytes, in the blood. It is the most common coagulation disorder among intensive care patients and is seen in a fifth of medical patients a ...

(low platelet count),

leucopenia Leukopenia () is a decrease in the number of leukocytes (WBC). Found in the blood, they are the white blood cells, and are the body's primary defense against an infection. Thus the condition of leukopenia places individuals at increased risk of ...

(low white blood cell count), and elevated liver enzyme levels.

Virology

SFTS virus (SFTSV) is a virus in the order ''

Bunyavirales ''Bunyavirales'' is an order of segmented negative-strand RNA viruses with mainly tripartite genomes. Member viruses infect arthropods, plants, protozoans, and vertebrates. It is the only order in the class ''Ellioviricetes''. The name ''Bunyav ...

''. Person-to-person transmission was not noted in early reports but has since been documented. The life cycle of the SFTSV most likely involves

arthropod Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and cuticle made of chiti ...

vectors and animal hosts. Humans appear to be largely accidental hosts. SFTSV has been detected in ''

Haemaphysalis longicornis ''Haemaphysalis longicornis'', the Asian longhorned tick, longhorned tick, bush tick, Asian tick, or cattle tick, is a parasitic arachnid belonging to the tick family Ixodidae. The Asian longhorned tick is a known livestock pest, especially in ...

tick Ticks (order Ixodida) are parasitic arachnids that are part of the mite superorder Parasitiformes. Adult ticks are approximately 3 to 5 mm in length depending on age, sex, species, and "fullness". Ticks are external parasites, living ...

Epidemiology

SFTS occurs in China's rural areas from March to November with the majority of cases from April to July. In 2013, Japan and Korea also reported several cases with deaths. In July 2013, South Korea reported a total of eight deaths since August 2012. In July 2017, Japanese doctors reported that a woman had died of SFTS after being bitten by a cat that may have itself infected by a tick. The woman had no visible tick bites, leading doctors to believe that the cat — which died as well — was the transmission vector. In early 2020 an outbreak occurred in

East China East China () is a geographical and a loosely defined cultural region that covers the eastern coastal area of China. A concept abolished in 1978, for economical purposes the region was defined from 1949 to 1961 by the Chinese Central Governme ...

, more than 37 people were found with SFTS in Jiangsu province, while 23 more were found infected in Anhui province in August 2020. Seven people have died.

Evolution

The virus originated 50–150 years ago and has undergone a recent population expansion.

History

In 2009 Xue-jie Yu and colleagues isolated the SFTS virus (SFTSV) from SFTS patients’ blood.

References

External links

{{Tick-borne diseases and infestations Arthropod-borne viral fevers and viral haemorrhagic fevers Insect-borne diseases Zoonoses