Prevalence of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus in animals in Henan Province, China

Xue-Yong Huang,Yi Li,Yan-Hua Du,Jia Su,Hong-Xia Ma,Hai-Feng Wang,Yi-Fei Nie,Bian-Li Xu,Ai-Guo You

doi:10.1186/s40249-019-0569-x

Abstract

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease caused by severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV). SFTSV has been found in humans, ticks and animals, and SFTS has high mortality and increasing prevalence in East Asia. In the study, the samples (heart, liver, lung, kidney, spleen, brain tissue and serum) were collected from 374 domestic animals and 241 wild animals in Pingqiao District and Xinxian County of Xinyang in Henan Province, China. 275 (44.72%, 275/615) animals were positive for anti-SFTSV antibodies, the anti-SFTSV antibodies positive ratios of domestic and wild animals were 43.58% (163/374) and 46.47% (112/241), respectively. There was no significant difference in domestic and wild animals, but significant differences were detected among different species of animals (χ2 = 112.59, P < 0.0001). Among 615 animals, 105 (17.07%, 105/615) animals were positive for SFTSV RNA, and only one SFTSV strain was isolated from heart tissue of a yellow weasel. The phylogenetic analysis shows that the sequence from animals belonged to the same group with viral sequences obtained from humans. The animals maybe play a reservoir host in maintaining the life cycle of SFTSV in nature.

Highlights

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging hemorrhagic fever and its pathogen is severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV)
SFTSV Ribonucleic acid (RNA) was detected in blood samples from several animal species, with a carriage rate varying from 0.23 to 26.31%, The highest carriage rate of SFTSV RNA was detected in cattle, followed by cats (17.46%), goats
105 out of 615 (17.07%) animals were positive for SFTSV RNA, in which at least one organ was positive according to real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)

Summary

Introduction

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging hemorrhagic fever and its pathogen is severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV). SFTSV has a wide host range and infects in some animal species. It is known that SFTSV can be detected in humans, various domestic animals and ticks. Researchers had demonstrated in the laboratory that the SFTSV can be passed transstadially in the developmental stages of the ticks which can be as a host and reservoir of infection to spread SFTSV by biting humans and animals. The prevalence of SFTSV infection among ticks collected from vegetation was quite low, suggesting that ticks alone may not be sufficient to maintain the virus in nature, so SFTSV must rely on other animals as storage hosts to circulate in nature [9]. This study was to explore the animal host reservoir range of SFTSV, and to elucidate SFTSV ecology in nature by detecting the anti-SFTSV antibodies and SFTSV RNA positive ratio of domestic animals and wild animals in the SFTS endemic region

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Discussion

Conclusion