Reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus in SFTSV infected patients

Li-Zhu Fang; Yu-Hong Dong; Zhi-Jian Yan; Chuan-Min Zhou; Xue-Jie Yu; Xiang-Rong Qin

doi:10.1016/j.imj.2023.04.005

Reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus in SFTSV infected patients

Infect Med (Beijing). 2023 May 12;2(3):195-201. doi: 10.1016/j.imj.2023.04.005. eCollection 2023 Sep.

Authors

Li-Zhu Fang¹, Yu-Hong Dong², Zhi-Jian Yan², Chuan-Min Zhou³, Xue-Jie Yu³, Xiang-Rong Qin⁴

Affiliations

¹ Qingdao City Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Qingdao 266033, China.
² Sixth People's Hospital, Qingdao 266033, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Virology, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China.
⁴ Department of Clinical Laboratory, the Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250033, China.

Abstract

Background: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging hemorrhagic fever caused by a tick-borne bunyavirus SFTSV with case fatality up to 30%. The reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been proven to occur in individuals with various immune suppression conditions.

Methods: Here, we diagnosed 22 SFTSV infected patients with PCR in a hospital in Shandong Province, China in 2020. To understand the consequences of SFTSV infection leading to EBV reactivation, we examined EBV reactivation in SFTSV-infected patients with PCR and RT-PCR.

Results: We found that EBV was reactivated in 18.2% (4/22) of SFTS patients, suggesting that EBV reactivation is common in SFTS patients. Compared with SFTS patients without EBV reactivation, SFTS patients with EBV-reactivation had a significantly lower median level of serum albumin (32.45 g/L vs. 26.95 g/L, p = 0.03) and a significantly higher median number of urine red blood cells (0 cells/μL vs. 9 cells/μL, p = 0.04).

Conclusion: SFTS infection can reactivate EBV in patients, which may make the clinical condition of patients worsen.

Keywords: Epstein-Barr virus; Glomerular injury; Reactivation; Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus.