中国出现的一种新型布尼亚病毒可导致发热伴血小板减少

Background: Heightened surveillance of acute febrile illness in China since 2009 has led to the identification of a severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) with an unknown cause. Infection with Anaplasma phagocytophilum has been suggested as a cause but the pathogen has not been detected in most patients on laboratory testing. Methods: We obtained blood samples from patients with the case definition of SFTS in six provinces in China. The blood samples were used to isolate the causal pathogen by inoculation of cell culture and for detection of viral RNA on polymerase-chainreaction assay. The pathogen was characterized on electron microscopy and nucleic acid sequencing. We used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay indirect immunofluorescence assay and neutralization testing to analyze the level of virus-specific antibody in patients' serum samples. Results: We isolated a novel virus designated SFTS bunyavirus from patients who presented with fever thrombocytopenia leukocytopenia and multiorgan dysfunction. RNA sequence analysis revealed that the virus was a newly identified member of the genus phlebovirus in the Bunyaviridae family. Electron-microscopical examination revealed virions with the morphologic characteristics of a bunyavirus. The presence of the virus was confirmed in 171 patients with SFTS from six provinces by detection of viral RNA specific antibodies to the virus in blood or both. Serologic assays showed a virus-specific immune response in all 35 pairs of serum samples collected from patients during the acute and convalescent phases of the illness. Conclusions: A novel phlebovirus was identified in patients with a life-threatening illness associated with fever and thrombocytopenia in China. (Funded by the China Mega-Project for Infectious Diseases and others.) Copyright © 2011 Massachusetts Medical Society.
   
Correspondence Address: Li D.-X.; Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Beijing 102206 China; email:lidx@chinacdc.cn