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Rickettsia species are gram-negative obligate intracellular bacteria that infect humans and a variety of vertebrates through the bite of arthropod vectors. Hard-body ticks are the primary vector of spotted fever [...]

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging hemorrhagic fever caused by SFTS virus (SFTSV), a newly discovered phlebovirus in the family Bunyaviridae (1,2). SFTS was reported in China [...]

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging hemorrhagic fever caused by SFTS virus (SFTSV), a recently discovered phlebovirus in the family Bunyaviridae (1). SFTS has been reported in [...]

To the Editor: Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is caused by hantavirus. During 1995-2005, China reported 20,000-50,000 cases of HFRS annually, which represents 90% of HFRS cases worldwide (1-3). [...]

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging hemorrhagic fever in East Asia caused by SFTS virus (SFTSV), a newly discovered phlebovirus. The Haemaphysalis longicornis tick has been suspected to be the vector of SFTSV. To determine whether SFTSV can be transmitted among ticks, from ticks to animals, and from animals to ticks, we conducted transmission studies between developmental stages of H. longicornis ticks and between ticks and mice. Using reverse transcription PCR, we also analyzed the prevalence of SFTSV infection among H. longicornis ticks collected from vegetation in Shandong Province, China. Our results showed a low prevalence of SFTSV among collected ticks (0.2%, 8/3,300 ticks), and we showed that ticks fed on SFTSV-infected mice could acquire the virus and transstadially and transovarially transmit it to other developmental stages of ticks. Furthermore, SFTSV-infected ticks could transmit the virus to mice during feeding. Our findings indicate ticks could serve as a vector and reservoir of SFTSV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Recently, hantaviruses have been discovered in insectivores in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. Imjin virus (MJNV) was first isolated from the lung tissues of Ussuri white-toothed shrew (Crocidura lasiura) from South Korea in 2009. We aim to detect the species and prevalence of insectivore- and rodent-borne hantaviruses in shrews and rodents., Materials and Methods: Shrews and rodents were captured in Jiaonan County of Shandong Province, China, in 2014. RT-PCR was used to amplify viral RNA of Hantavirus species, including insectivore-borne Imjin virus (MJNV), rodent-borne Hantaan virus (HTNV), and Seoul virus (SEOV) from shrews and rodents., Results and Discussion: We found that MJNV infected 10.7% (19/178) of Crocidura shrews, but it infected none of rodents (0/475); we also found that 2 of 178 (1.1%) Crocidura shrews were PCR positive to SEOV. This study indicated that the major animal hosts of Imjin virus are shrews, and rodent-borne SEOV can infect shrews.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome, an emerging hemorrhagic fever, is caused by severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), a tick-borne bunyavirus. Information regarding SFTSV animal hosts is very limited. In this study, we showed that 64% (9/14) of hedgehogs in Shandong Province, China were seropositive to SFTSV antibody, suggesting that hedgehog could be a vertebrate parasitifer for SFTSV.