Termed “Wetland virus” and first found in northeastern China, this pathogen causes a febrile illness and appears to be transmitted by a widely distributed ixodid tick species.
Ticks transmit a variety of pathogens, including orthonairoviruses that cause diseases such as Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. Now, investigators describe a newly discovered virus that is causing infections in China. In 2019, a man was hospitalized with a febrile illness after being bitten by ticks while traveling to a wetland park in Inner Mongolia. Next-generation sequencing of the patient's serum revealed a new orthonairovirus, dubbed Wetland virus (WELV). Among 682 patients in northeastern China who were hospitalized with febrile illnesses after tick bites, WELV infection was found in 17. In addition to fever, some patients had headaches and gastrointestinal manifestations; one had neurologic symptoms progressing to coma. All the patie…
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DisclosuresGrant/Research SupportNIH
Editorial BoardsUpToDate; ID Images (idimages.org); Infectious Diseases Society of America COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines; International Antiviral Society–USA (Guidelines Committee)
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesHIV Medicine Association; Infectious Diseases Society of America (Board of Directors)
DisclosuresGrant/Research SupportNIH
Editorial BoardsUpToDate; ID Images (idimages.org); Infectious Diseases Society of America COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines; International Antiviral Society–USA (Guidelines Committee)
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesHIV Medicine Association; Infectious Diseases Society of America (Board of Directors)