In China's Hubei province, the site of the first COVID-19 outbreak in late 2019, scientists have identified a new virus transmitted through tick bites. This virus has been named Asian longhorned tick nairovirus (ALTNV) and can cause a range of symptoms, including fever, severe weakness, digestive problems, and decreased platelet count.
This discovery was reported by specialists from the State Key Laboratory of Pathogens and Biosafety in Beijing. The findings regarding the new pathogen, ALTNV, were published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
The ALTNV virus can manifest as severe fatigue, gastrointestinal tract dysfunction, and reduced platelet levels. The situation is aggravated if a person contracts this virus simultaneously with another tick-borne virus; in such cases, the course of the illness becomes more severe.
One focus of this new virus is located in Hubei, a region where the initial COVID-19 outbreak occurred in Wuhan. Researchers analyzed data from over 3,100 patients who experienced fever after tick bites. ALTNV was found in 10.4% of those examined, compared to 15.1% among patients who did not have the virus causing severe fever with thrombocytopenia (DBV).
When infected solely with ALTNV, symptoms most frequently recorded included fatigue, gastrointestinal disorders, decreased platelets, and elevated liver enzymes. All 56 patients with confirmed monoinfection recovered.
However, co-infection with ALTNV and DBV led to a more severe disease course. Patients with both infections were more likely to experience kidney and respiratory system impairment. Of the 38 people affected by both infections, seven died.
Furthermore, scientists tested nearly 47,500 ticks collected from 15 provinces across China. The genetic material of ALTNV was found in 1.29% of the specimens, predominantly in the Asian longhorned tick Haemaphysalis longicornis. Laboratory tests demonstrated this tick species' ability to transmit the virus to mice.
Since ALTNV and DBV circulate in the same areas and can be transmitted by the same type of tick, researchers emphasize the importance of being able to differentiate these infections when diagnosing patients affected by tick bites. Currently, the detection of ALTNV has only been conducted within research in China, and there is no data on its spread among the population or ticks outside the country.
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