Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, a Viral Hemorrhagic Fever, Endemic to Japan: Achievements in and Directions for Medical Research

Abstract

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), a novel infectious disease caused by a novel bunyavirus and with a high case fatality rate (CFR), was reported by Chinese scientists in 2011. The causative virus, Dabie bandavirus also known as the SFTS virus (SFTSV), belongs to the genus Bandavirus (formerly named Phlebovirus) of the family Phenuiviridae (formerly named Bunyaviridae). SFTS was also reported to be endemic in South Korea and Japan in 2013. SFTSV circulates between some species of ticks and animals in nature. Humans are infected with SFTSV through bites from ticks such as Haemaphysalis longicornis and Amblyomma testidinarium. Domesticated animals, such as cats and dogs, are also infected with SFTSV and shown SFTS-like symptoms with a high CFR, likely having been infected through tick bites in the living environment. Furthermore, there have been cases of patients with SFTS who were infected with SFTSV through close contact with sick cats or dogs. The CFR in patients with SFTS is approximately 30% in Japan. There is always a risk of SFTSV infection in human populations living in endemic areas. Therefore, the development of specific therapies and vaccines is urgently needed to reduce the number of fatal SFTS cases.