Chinese scientists discover new tick-borne virus

Scientists from the State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity in Beijing have reported the discovery of a new virus, the Asian longhorned tick nairovirus (ALTNV).

The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Caliber.Az reports.

The pathogen was detected in patients who had been bitten by ticks in regions with a high prevalence of tick-borne infections.

Using RNA sequencing and virus isolation, researchers identified ALTNV.

The most common symptoms were fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, a reduced platelet count and elevated liver enzyme levels. Patients with isolated ALTNV infections, however, made a full recovery.

In a study of 3,163 patients, signs of ALTNV infection — either viral RNA or antibodies — were detected in 10.4% of cases.

Among those who tested negative for Dabie bandavirus (DBV), which causes severe fever with thrombocytopenia, the proportion infected with ALTNV was 15.1%.

The scientists noted that the co-circulation of ALTNV and DBV, along with their shared vector, makes diagnosis more difficult. When patients were infected with both viruses, the disease was more severe, with respiratory and kidney complications occurring more frequently.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov