Advances in research on severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus

Abstract

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an acute infectious disease caused by the SFTS virus (SFTSV). Since the first reported case, SFTSV has spread globally, particularly in Asian regions such as China, South Korea, and Japan, with an increasing number of cases and a high mortality rate among severe patients. SFTSV is an RNA virus capable of rapid biological evolution through genetic mutations, reassortment, and homologous recombination. The disease primarily occurs in mountainous, forested, and hilly areas. Due to limited clinical research, the clinical characteristics and pathogenesis of SFTS remain incompletely understood. This review summarizes recent advances in the regional epidemiological characteristics, clinical features, genotyping, pathogenesis, and rapid detection methods of SFTSV.

Keywords: clinical features; genotype; pathogenesis; rapid detection; severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus.

Figure 1

Geographical distribution of SFTS cases in China. 0: Area with 0 cases of infection; 1: Area with 1–100 cases of infection; 2: Area with 101–1,000 cases of infection; 3: Area with>1,000 cases of infection. First Step: Average altitude above 4,000 m; Second Step: Average altitude above 1,000-2000 m; Third Step: Average altitude below 500 m [The data comes from the study of Chen et al. (2022), created by Arcmap V10.2.2].

Figure 2

The target organs of SFTSV infection and its impact on immune cells. SFTSV infection impairs the production and function of various immune cells and cytokines, such as IFN, macrophages, and NK cells. It can also suppress the secretion and maturation of T cells and B cells, mediating the occurrence of a cytokine storm (Created by biorender.com).