Researchers in China have detected a previously unknown tick-borne virus capable of causing flu-like symptoms, fatigue and gastrointestinal problems, according to a newly published study.
The virus, named Asian longhorned tick nairovirus (ALTNV), belongs to the orthonairovirus group. Scientists reported that infection can also lead to thrombocytopenia, or low blood platelet counts, along with laboratory signs of liver-cell injury or inflammation.
Chinese researchers have been monitoring patients with unexplained illnesses since 2009, including cases of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome, known as SFTS, said Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital in New York.
“Thrombocytopenia is low platelet count, so those patients bled, and it had about a 30% mortality, which is quite high,” Nachman told Fox News Digital. “So, they kept following those patients.”
Although many infections were associated with Dabie bandavirus (DBV), a tick-borne hemorrhagic fever virus, researchers found that it was not the most frequently detected virus among the cases they were studying.
After extensive testing of blood samples and viral fragments, researchers identified the new virus, ALTNV, which is genetically distinct from DBV.
Researchers from the State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity in Beijing identified the virus in 10.4% of 3,163 patients who had been bitten by ticks.
Patients who had both ALTNV and DBV were more likely to have respiratory issues and kidney complications. Seven (18.4%) of these patients died during the course of the study.
“The cocirculation of ALTNV and DBV in the same areas, coupled with their shared tick vector, underscores the need for improved differential diagnosis between infections with these viruses in regions where SFTS is endemic,” the authors concluded.
The findings were published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.
“The big picture is that ticks carry lots of viruses,” Nachman said. “We’re getting smarter at identifying those viruses. And when one blood sample is negative, it’s important to say, ‘Maybe there was a new virus there, and let’s look for it.’”
Symptoms and treatment
Illness from ALTNV can initially resemble the flu, causing fever, muscle aches, fatigue and sometimes respiratory symptoms.
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Although an ALTNV infection can cause low platelet counts, the study did not link the virus alone to severe bleeding or deaths. The fatal cases involved patients who were also infected with DBV, which causes severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome.
Because tick-borne viral symptoms can overlap with many infections, Nachman emphasized the importance of identifying the specific virus.
“Effective antivirals exist for flu, but not for many tick-borne viruses, including the newly identified one,” she said.
For most patients, supportive care is given to help manage symptoms, “but it’s also about being smart and not giving patients the wrong medication,” Nachman noted. “And we certainly don’t want to use antibiotics because those only work for bacteria, not for viruses.”
Preventing tick bites
Nachman shared the best practices she recommends to families looking to avoid tick bites.
“Wear the right clothing, meaning long pants, tucking them into your socks, and use tick repellents on your skin if you’re an adult or on your clothing if you’re a young child,” she advised.
It’s also important to be on the lookout for ticks on the skin.
“The longer the tick is on your skin, the more it’s engorged, the more it’s likely to pass an infection to you,” Nachman said. “So, removing them after you’ve gone hiking or walking on the beach will be really important.”
While the Asian longhorn tick is not yet seen in the U.S., Nachman noted there are “lots and lots of other ticks, and those ticks carry other diseases.”
“I don’t want to say one tick is worse than another tick. It’s rather all about the diseases they carry and who you are,” she said.
“So, if you’re a healthy adult, and you get babesiosis, you often get better without any medications. But if you’re an immune-compromised adult, you’re going to be quite sick.
“It’s not really about the ticks. It’s about the patient. Who are you? What’s your underlying illness if you have any? How old are you, and how healthy are you?”