Dangerous Tick-Borne Virus Discovered in China
Researchers from Beijing have paid attention to patients with unexplained fever after tick bites.
The pathogen has been named Asian longhorned tick nairovirus (ALTNV), and cases of infection have been recorded in four provinces of the country, including Hubei, where the city of Wuhan – the birthplace of the coronavirus – is located, writes Daily Mail, citing research by Chinese scientists.
The publication notes that researchers from Beijing drew attention to patients with unexplained fever after tick bites. The reason for concern was cases whose symptoms resembled other dangerous tick-borne infections, including Dabie bandavirus (DBV), also known as severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome.
Scientists analyzed samples from 3163 people from four provinces – Henan, Hubei, Anhui, and Shandong. ALTNV was detected in 329 patients, which is 10.4% of those examined. According to researchers, the first case of infection with this virus dates back to 2009.