A Cluster of Bunyavirus-Associated Severe Fever With Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Cases in a Coastal Plain Area in China 2015: Identification of a Previously Unidentified Endemic Region for Severe Fever With Thrombocytopenia Bunyavirus

摘要

BackgroundSevere fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a typical tick-borne, natural focal disease. The natural foci of SFTS were considered to exist in hilly and mountainous areas before 2015. A cluster of 3 patients exposed to a patient with a fulminant disease consistent with SFTS occurred from July to August 2015 in Dongtai County, which is characterized by alluvial plains; this prompted investigation.