Fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome

  A patient was admitted to our department some time ago, a male 46 years old. He was hospitalized for a week with fever and was referred to our department because of thrombocytopenia. After careful follow-up, we found that the patient had a tick bite. We isolated a strain of virus from the patient’s serum and completed the full gene sequence determination and homology comparison of the virus. Through detailed analysis of the genetic structure and morphological characteristics of the virus, the virus was identified as a novel bunyavirus. The CDC has identified a novel bunyavirus as the culprit of this type of “tick-bite disease”.  Bunyaviruses are naturally infected in many vertebrates and arthropods (mosquitoes, ticks, lacewings, etc.), can infect mice, and can grow in some mammals, birds, and mosquito cell cultures; in humans, they can cause diseases similar to influenza or dengue fever, hemorrhagic fevers (Lifting Valley fever and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, etc.), and encephalitis (California encephalitis). There are three types of transmission: mosquito-borne, tick-borne, and white-wing-borne. Some viruses can be transmitted via egg, mating or embryonic stages in their arthropod vectors.  On September 12, 2010, the CDC authorities have isolated a “novel bunyavirus” from the patient. The culprit of the “Henan tick bite incident” may be a new type of bunyavirus, and the Ministry of Health is also organizing experts to develop a “treatment plan for human infection with a new type of bunyavirus disease”, from clinical diagnosis and treatment methods, to the discovery of infected cases. The Ministry of Health is also organizing experts to develop a “New Human Bunyavirus Disease Treatment Program”, which will define and treat effectively the infected cases found in terms of clinical diagnosis and treatment. Bunyavirus is a large category, and the “new Bunyavirus” may be identified as a new virus, from the current point of view, this virus is mainly transmitted by ticks, is treatable, and the death rate is very low, the public need not panic.