Role of three tick species in the maintenance and transmission of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2020 Jun 10;14(6):e0008368. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008368. eCollection 2020 Jun.

Abstract

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is a novel phlebovirus in the Bunyaviridae family, causing SFTS with high mortality rate. Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks has been demonstrated as a competent vector of SFTSV by experimental transmission study and field study. However, there has been query whether other tick species that infest human beings in the SFTS endemic regions are capable of transmitting the pathogen. Here by performing experimental transmission study, we compared the capable of transmitting SFTSV among Ixodes sinensis, Ixodes persulcatus and Dermacentor silvarum ticks. The transovarial transmission was seen in the I. sinensis ticks with a rate of 40%, but neither in I. persulcatus nor in D. silvarum ticks. I. sinensis ticks also have the ability to transmit SFTSV horizontally to uninfected mice at 7 days after feeding, but not for I. persalcatus or D. silvarum ticks. In the transstadial transmission of I. persulcatus and D. silvarum ticks, I. persulcatus ticks were tested negative from larvae to adults. But the D. silvarum ticks were tested positive from larvae to nymphs, with the positive rate of 100% (10/10) for engorged larval ticks and 81.25% (13/16) for molted nymphs. However, the mice bitten by SFTSV-infected D. silvarum nymphs were negative for SFTSV detection. Therefore, there is not enough evidence to prove the transstadial transmission of SFTSV in I. persalcatus and D. silvarum ticks.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Arachnid Vectors / virology*
  • Bunyaviridae Infections / transmission*
  • Bunyaviridae Infections / virology*
  • Disease Transmission, Infectious / veterinary*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Ixodes / virology
  • Ixodidae / classification
  • Ixodidae / virology*
  • Larva / virology
  • Mice
  • Nymph
  • Phlebovirus / physiology*
  • Rabbits

Grants and funding

This work was supported by grants from the China Mega-Project on Infectious Disease Prevention (2018ZX10713002, 2018ZX10101003, and 2018ZX10301401) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81825019 and 81472005).The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.