Scientists in China have identified a new, previously unknown tick-borne virus that can cause flu-like symptoms, fatigue, and gastrointestinal symptoms, according to a new study.
The discovered virus, called "Asian Longhorned Tick Nairovirus" (ALTNV), which belongs to the Orthonairovirus group, was found to cause thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) in addition to laboratory indications of liver cell injury or inflammation.
Since 2009, Chinese researchers have been tracking patients with unusual illnesses, including severe fever syndrome with thrombocytopenia (SFTS).
Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children's Hospital in New York, said: "Thrombocytopenia is a low platelet count, so these patients were bleeding, and the mortality rate was about 30%, which is a very high rate. So they continued to monitor these patients."
Many cases were linked to dapipandavirus (DBV), also known as severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus, a tick-borne hemorrhagic fever, but it was not the most prevalent virus among the patients. After extensive testing of blood samples and viral fragments, researchers identified a new virus, ALTNV, which is genetically distinct from DBV.
Researchers from the State Key Laboratory of Pathology and Defence Biology in Beijing identified the virus in 10.4% of 3,163 patients who had been bitten by ticks. Patients infected with both ALTNV and DBV were more likely to experience respiratory problems and kidney complications, and seven of them (18.4%) died during the study period.
The researchers concluded that "the prevalence of ALTNV and DBV in the same regions, along with their sharing the same tick vector, underscores the need to improve the differential diagnosis of infection with these viruses in regions where severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome is endemic."
ALTNV can initially resemble the flu, causing fever, muscle aches, fatigue, and sometimes respiratory symptoms.
Although ALTNV infection can cause a decrease in platelet count, the study did not link the virus alone to severe bleeding or death, as fatal cases included patients who were also infected with DBV.
Because the symptoms of tick-borne viruses can overlap with those of many other infections, Nachman emphasized the importance of identifying the specific virus. She noted that effective antiviral drugs exist for influenza, but are not available for many tick-borne viruses, including the newly discovered one. She explained that for most patients, supportive care is provided to help manage symptoms, while avoiding the administration of incorrect medications, particularly antibiotics that only work against bacteria, not viruses.
To avoid tick bites, Nachman recommends:
Wear long clothes and tuck your pants into your socks.
Use insect repellents on the skin of adults, or on the clothing of young children.
Regularly check your skin to remove any ticks that are stuck, especially after hiking or walking on the beach, because the longer a tick stays, the greater the risk of infection.
The results were published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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