Abstract
BackgroundSevere fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is a novel tick-borne phlebovirus, which is listed in the most dangerous pathogens by the World Health Organization, and has 12–30% fatality rates. SFTSV antibodies were reported in minks that experienced abortion or reproductive failure. The aim of this study was to determine whether SFTSV infection causes an adverse pregnancy outcome in the fetus using a pregnant mouse model.Methodology/Principal findingsWe found SFTSV in the fetus after infection in pregnant mice, and some dams showed adverse pregnancy outcomes after infection with SFTSV including placental damage, fetal reabsorption, and fetal intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). SFTSV had obvious tropism characteristics in the placenta, especially in the labyrinth. In early-gestation, pregnant mice infected with SFTSV had fetal IUGR and a high viral load in the fetus. The virus widely spread in infected fetuses, including the hindbrain, thymus, heart, spinal cord, and liver.ConclusionsOur study demonstrated that SFTSV was vertically transmitted to the fetus through the placental barrier of immunocompetent mice, and resulted in adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Highlights
Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging viral hemorrhagic fever that is caused by a novel phlebovirus, the SFTS virus (SFTSV) [1]
Our study demonstrated that Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) was vertically transmitted to the fetus through the placental barrier of immunocompetent mice, and resulted in adverse pregnancy outcomes
We did not observe an abnormal fetus in the mock group and the mock group treated by mitomycin C, but we did observe that some fetuses had been resorbed, stillborn, and had intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) in the SFTSV infection groups (Fig 1B)
Summary
Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging viral hemorrhagic fever that is caused by a novel phlebovirus, the SFTS virus (SFTSV) [1]. SFTSV is currently endemic in China, Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam [2,3,4] It is transmitted through tick bites and from person-to-person [5,6,7,8,9], and causes infection in thousands of people every year in China with annual case numbers increasing, and with a reported case fatality rate among hospitalized patients from 12% to 30% in China and 20% in South Korea and Japan [10,11,12]. Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is a novel tick-borne phlebovirus, which is listed in the most dangerous pathogens by the World Health Organization, and has 12–30% fatality rates. The aim of this study was to determine whether SFTSV infection causes an adverse pregnancy outcome in the fetus using a pregnant mouse model
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