First case of laboratory-confirmed severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome disease revealed the risk of SFTSV infection in Xinjiang, China

Emerg Microbes Infect. 2019;8(1):1122-1125. doi: 10.1080/22221751.2019.1645573.

Abstract

The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region locating in Northwest of China was not considered the epidemic area of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS). Here we report the first laboratory-confirmed SFTS case that a female patient had tick bite in Xinjiang and illness onset after returning to Hainan Province. Laboratory tests identified SFTS virus (SFTSV) infection, and the virus was isolated from the patient's serum sample. Furthermore, SFTSV prevalence among tick groups was identified, and IgM response to SFTSV from febrile patients was identified. The findings suggested that there have been risks of SFTSV infection due to exposure to ticks in Xinjiang.

Keywords: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus; Xinjiang; exposure to ticks; first laboratory-confirmed case; virus isolation.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bunyaviridae Infections / blood
  • Bunyaviridae Infections / diagnosis*
  • Bunyaviridae Infections / transmission
  • Bunyaviridae Infections / virology
  • China
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Phlebovirus / classification
  • Phlebovirus / genetics
  • Phlebovirus / isolation & purification*
  • Phlebovirus / physiology
  • Phylogeny
  • Thrombocytopenia / blood
  • Thrombocytopenia / diagnosis*
  • Thrombocytopenia / virology
  • Ticks / physiology
  • Ticks / virology
  • Travel

Supplementary concepts

  • SFTS phlebovirus

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Intergovernmental Special Program of State Key Research and Development Plan from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China [grant number 2016YFE0113500], Science and Technology Basic Work Program [grant number 2013FY113500] from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, National R&D Infrastructure and Facility Development Program of China, “Fundamental Science Data Sharing Platform” [grant number Y706061YZ1], National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant numbers 81860367, 81760378], and Hainan Natural Science Foundation Innovation Research Team Project [grant number 2018CXTD340].