Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Phlebovirus causes lethal viral hemorrhagic fever in cats.

ABSTRACT: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging hemorrhagic fever caused by the SFTS phlebovirus (SFTSV). SFTS patients were first reported in China, followed by Japan and South Korea. In 2017, cats were diagnosed with SFTS for the first time, suggesting that these animals are susceptible to SFTSV. To confirm whether or not cats were indeed susceptible to SFTSV, animal subjects were experimentally infected with SFTSV. Four of the six cats infected with the SPL010 strain of SFTSV died, all showing similar or more severe symptoms than human SFTS patients, such as a fever, leukocytopenia, thrombocytopenia, weight loss, anorexia, jaundice and depression. High levels of SFTSV RNA loads were detected in the serum, eye swab, saliva, rectal swab and urine, indicating a risk of di

SUBMITTER: Park ES 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6700174 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature