Abstract
Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is the causative agent of SFTS, an emerging tick-borne disease in East Asia, and is maintained in enzootic cycles involving ticks and a range of wild animal hosts. Direct transmission of SFTSV from cats and dogs to humans has been identified in Japan, suggesting that veterinarians and veterinary nurses involved in small-animal practice are at occupational risk of SFTSV infection. To characterize this risk, we performed a sero-epidemiological survey in small-animal-practice workers and healthy blood donors in Miyazaki prefecture, which is the prefecture with the highest per capita number of recorded cases of SFTS in Japan. Three small-animal-practice workers were identified as seropositive by ELISA, but one had a negative neutralization-test result and so was finally determined to be seronegative, giving a seropositive rate of 2.2% (2 of 90), which was significantly higher than that in healthy blood donors (0%, 0 of 1000; p < 0.05). The seroprevalence identified here in small-animal-practice workers was slightly higher than that previously reported in other high-risk workers engaged in agriculture and forestry in Japan. Thus, enhancement of small-animal-practice workers’ awareness of biosafety at animal hospitals is necessary for control of SFTSV.
Highlights
The causative agent of Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is Dabie bandavirus, which is generally known as SFTS virus (SFTSV), and is classified in the family Phenuiviridae and the genus Bandavirus
Many cases of SFTS in domestic cats were thought to be an important risk factor for SFTSV infection [3], suggesting that other workreported in western Japan [6] and close contact with companion animals is thought to ers might be at occupational risk
We have previously identified direct from anprefectures infected cat[8], to indicating a Similar cases have been reported in transmission other SFTS-endemic veterinarian and a veterinary nurse at a small-animal hospital in that small-animal-practice workers, including veterinarians and veterinary nurses and Similar cases have been in other
Summary
At the time of discovery of SFTSV in Japan, people engaged in agriculture and forestry were considered to be at risk of infection, as with cases in China [1]. Many cases of SFTS in domestic cats were thought to be an important risk factor for SFTSV infection [3], suggesting that other workreported in western Japan [6] and close contact with companion animals is thought to ers might be at occupational risk. We have previously direct SFTSV transmission from an infected cat to a veterinarian and a veterinary nurse at a small-animal hospital in Miyazaki prefecture [7]. SFTSV from anprefectures infected cat[8], to indicating a Similar cases have been reported in transmission other SFTS-endemic veterinarian and a veterinary nurse at a small-animal hospital in Miyazaki prefecture [7].
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