title: The first molecular evidence of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus in ticks in Jilin, Northeastern China.
abstract: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging tick-borne zoonosis. The aim of this study was to investigate SFTS virus (SFTSV) infections in ticks in Northeastern China. A total of 6427 ticks, including 5450 Haemaphysalis longicornis, 463 Dermacentor silvarum, 351 Dermacentor nuttalli, and 163 Ixodes persulcatus, were sampled in the Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang Provinces of Northeastern China. Viral megagenomic analysis of the ticks revealed 25 contigs targeting the M and L segments of the SFTSV genome. H. longicornis collected from Jinxing, Jilin Province, were analyzed by RT-PCR, which showed positive results for SFTSV, with a minimum prevalence of 3.0%. The full-length sequence of the S, M, and L segments of the SFTSV were obtained, and phylogenetic analysis showed that the virus strain found in Jilin formed a monophyletic cluster with the SFTSV strains from Jiangsu, suggesting that SFTSV in the Jilin Province may have spread from the Jiangsu Province. These findings are the first to demonstrate molecular evidence of SFTSV in ticks in the Jilin Province of Northeastern China and indicate the need for measures to prevent and control SFTS.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China; Military Veterinary Institute, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Changchun, China. Electronic address: 18704491468@163.com.
authors.forename: Huanhuan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China; Military Veterinary Institute, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Changchun, China. Electronic address: lzy532586065@163.com.
authors.forename: Zhongyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Military Veterinary Institute, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Changchun, China. Electronic address: zedong1987@163.com.
authors.forename: Zedong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Military Veterinary Institute, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Changchun, China. Electronic address: heb-001001@163.com.
authors.forename: Biao
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Military Veterinary Institute, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Changchun, China. Electronic address: wsc1026@126.com.
authors.forename: Shuchao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China. Electronic address: jlccwf@126.com.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Military Veterinary Institute, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Changchun, China. Electronic address: changchun_tu@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Changchun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China; Military Veterinary Institute, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Changchun, China. Electronic address: liuquan1973@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002681:China; D016856:Phlebovirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010802:Phylogeny; D013987:Ticks / Q000821:virology*
keywords: Haemaphysalis longicornis; Jilin Province; Megagenomic analysis; RT-PCR; Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus