Discovery of Tick-Borne Karshi Virus Implies Misinterpretation of the Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus Seroprevalence in Northwest China.

ABSTRACT: Despite few human cases of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), high rates of TBEV seroprevalence were reported among humans and animals in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Northwestern China. In this study, the Karshi virus (KSIV) was identified and isolated from Hyalomma asiaticum ticks in Xinjiang. It belongs to the genus Flavivirus of the family Flaviviridae and is closely related to TBEV. KSIV infects cell lines from humans, other mammals and ticks, and causes encephalitis in suckling mice. High minimum infection rates (4.96%) with KSIV were detected among tick groups. KSIV infections have occurred in sheep and marmots, resulting in antibody-positive rates of 2.43 and 2.56%, respectively. We further found that, of the KSIV antibody-positive serum samples from

SUBMITTER: Bai Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9173002 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature