Novel Phlebovirus with Zoonotic Potential Isolated from Ticks, Australia

摘要

Viruses in the family Bunyaviridae can infect animals and plants (1). The family is composed of 5 genera: Orthobunyavirus, Phlebovirus, Nairovirus, Hantavirus, and Tospovirus (2). The genus Phlebovirus contains known disease agents of animals, including humans, that can be carried by different vectors (e.g., phlebotomine sandflies, mosquitoes, and ticks) (3). In 2009, an outbreak of an acute febrile illness, known as severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), occurred in China. During an investigation of the outbreak, a previously unknown bunyavirus from the tick Anaplasma phagocytophilum was identified as the causative agent of SFTS (4). SFTS virus (SFTSV) has since been shown to be responsible for >150 human infections in 16 Chinese provinces and to have an associated death rate of ≈12% (5,6).