Diversity of Species and Geographic Distribution of Tick-borne Viruses in China

Overview

Journal Front Microbiol

Specialty Microbiology

Date 2024 Mar 13

PMID 38476950

Authors

Yi Wu

Qian Zhou

Meihan Mao

Huangliang Chen

Rui Qi

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Introduction: Tick-borne pathogens especially viruses are continuously appearing worldwide, which have caused severe public health threats. Understanding the species, distribution and epidemiological trends of tick-borne viruses (TBVs) is essential for disease surveillance and control.

Methods: In this study, the data on TBVs and the distribution of ticks in China were collected from databases and literature. The geographic distribution of TBVs in China was mapped based on geographic locations of viruses where they were prevalent or they were detected in vector ticks. TBVs sequences were collected from The National Center for Biotechnology Information and used to structure the phylogenetic tree.

Results: Eighteen TBVs from eight genera of five families were prevalent in China. Five genera of ticks played an important role in the transmission of TBVs in China. According to phylogenetic analysis, some new viral genotypes, such as the Dabieshan tick virus (DTV) strain detected in Liaoning Province and the JMTV strain detected in Heilongjiang Province existed in China.

Discussion: TBVs were widely distributed but the specific ranges of viruses from different families still varied in China. Seven TBVs belonging to the genus of the family such as Nairobi sheep disease virus (NSDV) clustered in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and northeastern areas of China. All viruses of the family except Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) were novel viruses that appeared in the last few years, such as Guertu virus (GTV) and Tacheng tick virus 2 (TcTV-2). They were mainly distributed in the central plains of China. Jingmen tick virus (JMTV) was distributed in at least fourteen provinces and had been detected in more than ten species of tick such as and , which had the widest distribution and the largest number of vector ticks among all TBVs. Parainfluenza virus 5 (PIV5) and Lymphatic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) were two potential TBVs in Northeast China that could cause serious diseases in humans or animals. Ixodes persulcatus carried the highest number of TBVs, followed by and . They could carry as many as ten TBVs. Three strains of Tick-borne encephalitis (TBEV) from Inner Mongolia Province clustered with ones from Russia, Japan and Heilongjiang Province, respectively. Several SFTSV strains from Zhejiang Province clustered with strains from Korea and Japan. Specific surveillance of dominant TBVs should be established in different areas in China.

Citing Articles

Aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio correlates with poor prognosis and metabolic alterations in infection.

Guo C, Li R, Wang X, Peng X Front Immunol. 2025; 15:1471511.

PMID: 39896801 PMC: 11781988. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1471511.

Metatranscriptomic analysis reveals the diversity of RNA viruses in ticks in Inner Mongolia, China.

Su S, Cui M, Xing L, Gao R, Mu L, Hong M PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2024; 18(12):e0012706.

PMID: 39661583 PMC: 11634002. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012706.

Pilot Surveillance of , , and Among Chinese Blood Donors - Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Heilongjiang PLADs, China, 2022-2023.

Ji H, Chang L, Yan Y, Sun H, Wang L China CDC Wkly. 2024; 6(46):1206-1210.

PMID: 39582901 PMC: 11581989. DOI: 10.46234/ccdcw2024.243.

References

Shao J, Guo L, Yuan Y, Ma J, Chen J, Liu Q . A Novel Subtype of Bovine Hepacivirus Identified in Ticks Reveals the Genetic Diversity and Evolution of Bovine Hepacivirus. Viruses. 2021; 13(11). PMC: 8623979. DOI: 10.3390/v13112206. View

Zhao L, Zhai S, Wen H, Cui F, Chi Y, Wang L . Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus, Shandong Province, China. Emerg Infect Dis. 2012; 18(6):963-5. PMC: 3358154. DOI: 10.3201/eid1806.111345. View

Couret J, Schofield S, Narasimhan S . The environment, the tick, and the pathogen - It is an ensemble. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2022; 12:1049646. PMC: 9666722. DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1049646. View

Moming A, Yue X, Shen S, Chang C, Wang C, Luo T . Prevalence and Phylogenetic Analysis of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Ticks from Different Ecosystems in Xinjiang, China. Virol Sin. 2018; 33(1):67-73. PMC: 6178079. DOI: 10.1007/s12250-018-0016-3. View

Shen S, Duan X, Wang B, Zhu L, Zhang Y, Zhang J . A novel tick-borne phlebovirus, closely related to severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus and Heartland virus, is a potential pathogen. Emerg Microbes Infect. 2018; 7(1):95. PMC: 5970217. DOI: 10.1038/s41426-018-0093-2. View

Zhang G, Zheng D, Tian Y, Li S . A dataset of distribution and diversity of ticks in China. Sci Data. 2019; 6(1):105. PMC: 6602924. DOI: 10.1038/s41597-019-0115-5. View

Shao L, Chang R, Liu L, Wang Y, Gao Y, Wang S . Detection and phylogenetic analysis of a novel tick-borne virus in Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks and sheep from Shandong, China. Virol J. 2021; 18(1):233. PMC: 8626915. DOI: 10.1186/s12985-021-01704-y. View

Huang Y, Wang S, Liu H, Atoni E, Wang F, Chen W . A global dataset of sequence, diversity and biosafety recommendation of arbovirus and arthropod-specific virus. Sci Data. 2023; 10(1):305. PMC: 10199016. DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-02226-8. View

Zohaib A, Zhang J, Saqib M, Athar M, Hussain M, Chen J . Serologic Evidence of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus and Related Viruses in Pakistan. Emerg Infect Dis. 2020; 26(7):1513-1516. PMC: 7323538. DOI: 10.3201/eid2607.190611. View

10.

Wang Z, Wang W, Wang N, Qiu K, Zhang X, Tana G . Prevalence of the emerging novel Alongshan virus infection in sheep and cattle in Inner Mongolia, northeastern China. Parasit Vectors. 2019; 12(1):450. PMC: 6740026. DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3707-1. View

11.

Qin X, Shi M, Tian J, Lin X, Gao D, He J . A tick-borne segmented RNA virus contains genome segments derived from unsegmented viral ancestors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014; 111(18):6744-9. PMC: 4020047. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1324194111. View

12.

Pang Z, Jin Y, Pan M, Zhang Y, Wu Z, Liu L . Geographical distribution and phylogenetic analysis of Jingmen tick virus in China. iScience. 2022; 25(9):105007. PMC: 9463580. DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105007. View

13.

Charrel R, Attoui H, Butenko A, Clegg J, Deubel V, Frolova T . Tick-borne virus diseases of human interest in Europe. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2004; 10(12):1040-55. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2004.01022.x. View

14.

Li F, Li J, Song J, Yin Q, Nie K, Xu S . Novel Orthonairovirus Isolated from Ticks near China-North Korea Border. Emerg Infect Dis. 2023; 29(6):1254-1257. PMC: 10202851. DOI: 10.3201/eid2906.230056. View

15.

Zhuang L, Sun Y, Cui X, Tang F, Hu J, Wang L . Transmission of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus by Haemaphysalis longicornis Ticks, China. Emerg Infect Dis. 2018; 24(5). PMC: 5938789. DOI: 10.3201/eid2405.151435. View

16.

Grard G, Moureau G, Charrel R, Lemasson J, Gonzalez J, Gallian P . Genetic characterization of tick-borne flaviviruses: new insights into evolution, pathogenetic determinants and taxonomy. Virology. 2006; 361(1):80-92. DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2006.09.015. View

17.

Tao M, Liu Y, Ling F, Chen Y, Zhang R, Ren J . Severe Fever With Thrombocytopenia Syndrome in Southeastern China, 2011-2019. Front Public Health. 2022; 9:803660. PMC: 8864090. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.803660. View

18.

Yu X, Liang M, Zhang S, Liu Y, Li J, Sun Y . Fever with thrombocytopenia associated with a novel bunyavirus in China. N Engl J Med. 2011; 364(16):1523-32. PMC: 3113718. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1010095. View

19.

Boulanger N, Boyer P, Talagrand-Reboul E, Hansmann Y . Ticks and tick-borne diseases. Med Mal Infect. 2019; 49(2):87-97. DOI: 10.1016/j.medmal.2019.01.007. View

20.

Simo L, Kazimirova M, Richardson J, Bonnet S . The Essential Role of Tick Salivary Glands and Saliva in Tick Feeding and Pathogen Transmission. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2017; 7:281. PMC: 5479950. DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2017.00281. View