title: Epidemiological Survey of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus in Ticks in Nagasaki, Japan.
abstract: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging disease endemic in East Asia. Transmitted to other organisms by infected ticks, the SFTS virus (SFTSV) and is endemic to Nagasaki in western Japan. However, epidemiological information regarding SFTSV in Nagasaki ticks has not been available to date. In this study, we began by examining the sensitivities of SFTSV gene detection by real-time RT-PCR and virus isolation in cultured cells and mice. These methods could detect SFTSV in the samples containing more than 4 × 10(0) ffu. Next, we attempted to isolate SFTSV and to detect viral gene in 2,222 nymph and adult ticks collected from May to August 2013 among seven regions of Nagasaki. However, neither virus isolation nor viral gene detection were confirmed in the tick pools. SFTSV positivity rates are considered to be very low in ticks, and viral loads are also very limited. Further investigations increasing the number of ticks and including larval samples as well as improved detection methods, may be required to find SFTSV-positive ticks in this region.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Institute of Tropical Medicine ; Leading Graduate School Program.
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hayasaka
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Institute of Tropical Medicine ; Leading Graduate School Program.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Institute of Tropical Medicine.
authors.forename: Kotaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Institute of Tropical Medicine.
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takamatsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Institute of Tropical Medicine.
authors.forename: Leo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Uchida
authors.affiliation: Tropical Medicine Museum.
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Horio
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Institute of Tropical Medicine.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fuxun
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Institute of Tropical Medicine ; Leading Graduate School Program ; J-Grid, Nagasaki University . 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 852-8523.
authors.forename: Kouichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Morita
keywords: SFTSV; real-time RT-PCR; ticks; viral gene detection; virus isolation