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. 2024 Jul 20;10(1):veae054.
doi: 10.1093/ve/veae054. eCollection 2024.

Deciphering the evolutionary landscape of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus across East Asia

Dongbin Park  1 , Kwan Woo Kim  1 , Young-Il Kim  1 , Mark Anthony B Casel  1   2 , Hyunwoo Jang  1   2 , Woohyun Kwon  1   2 , Kanghee Kim  1   2 , Se-Mi Kim  1 , Monford Paul Abishek N  1 , Eun-Ha Kim  3 , Hobin Jang  1 , Suhee Hwang  1 , Seok-Min Yun  4 , Joo-Yeon Lee  4 , Hye Won Jeong  2 , Su-Jin Park  5 , Young Ki Choi  1   2
Affiliations

Deciphering the evolutionary landscape of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus across East Asia

Dongbin Park et al. Virus Evol. .

Abstract

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) poses a significant public health challenge in East Asia, necessitating a deeper understanding of its evolutionary dynamics to effectively manage its spread and pathogenicity. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the genetic diversity, recombination patterns, and selection pressures across the SFTSV genome, utilizing an extensive dataset of 2041 sequences from various hosts and regions up to November 2023. Employing maximum likelihood and Bayesian evolutionary analysis by sampling trees (BEAST), we elucidated the phylogenetic relationships among nine distinct SFTSV genotypes (A, B1, B2, B3, B4, C, D, E, and F), revealing intricate patterns of viral evolution and genotype distribution across China, South Korea, and Japan. Furthermore, our analysis identified 34 potential reassortments, underscoring a dynamic genetic interplay among SFTSV strains. Genetic recombination was observed most frequently in the large segment and least in the small segment, with notable recombination hotspots characterized by stem-loop hairpin structures, indicative of a structural propensity for genetic recombination. Additionally, selection pressure analysis on critical viral genes indicated a predominant trend of negative selection, with specific sites within the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and glycoprotein genes showing positive selection. These sites suggest evolutionary adaptations to host immune responses and environmental pressures. This study sheds light on the intricate evolutionary mechanisms shaping SFTSV, offering insights into its adaptive strategies and potential implications for vaccine development and therapeutic interventions.

Keywords: evolution; phylogenetic analysis; reassortment; recombination; selection; severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus; viral evolution.

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Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Information on SFTSV strains analyzed in this study.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
ML phylogenetic trees of the SFTSV genome.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
BEAST phylogenetic trees of the SFTSV genome.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Schematic of the SFTSV evolutionary pathway.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Information on recombination events.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Recombination hotspots.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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