Concurrent severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus outbreaks on multiple fox farms, China, 2023
The role of farmed animals in the viral spillover from wild animals to humans is of growing importance. Between July and September of 2023 infectious disease outbreaks were reported on six Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) farms in Shandong and Liaoning provinces, China, which lasted for 2–3 months and re...
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Emerging Microbes and Infections |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/22221751.2024.2447610 |
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| author | Jian Sun Lei Qian Delong Li Xiurong Wang Hong Zhou Cixiu Li Edward C. Holmes Jianke Wang Juan Li Weifeng Shi |
| author_facet | Jian Sun Lei Qian Delong Li Xiurong Wang Hong Zhou Cixiu Li Edward C. Holmes Jianke Wang Juan Li Weifeng Shi |
| author_sort | Jian Sun |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The role of farmed animals in the viral spillover from wild animals to humans is of growing importance. Between July and September of 2023 infectious disease outbreaks were reported on six Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) farms in Shandong and Liaoning provinces, China, which lasted for 2–3 months and resulted in tens to hundreds of fatalities per farm. Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus (SFTSV) was identified in tissue/organ and swab samples from all the 13 foxes collected from these farms. These animals exhibited loss of appetite and weight loss, finally resulting in death. In autopsy and histopathology, prominently enlarged spleens and extensive multi-organ hemorrhage were observed, respectively, indicating severe systemic effects. Viral loads were detected in various tissues/organs, including brains from 9 of the 10 foxes. SFTSV was also detected in serum, anal swabs, as well as in environmental samples, including residual food in troughs used by dying foxes in follow-up studies at two farms. The 13 newly sequenced SFTSV genomes shared >99.43% nucleotide identity with human strains from China. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the 13 sequences belonged to three genotypes, and that two sequences from Liaoning were genomic reassortants, indicative of multiple sources and introduction events. This study provides the first evidence of SFTSV infection, multi-tissue tropism, and pathogenicity in farmed foxes, representing an expanded virus host range. However, the widespread circulation of different genotypes of SFTSV in farmed animals from different provinces and the diverse transmission routes, highlight its increasing and noticeable public health risk in China. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f8e314948e6840aaacd0acf06f02ea4e |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2222-1751 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Emerging Microbes and Infections |
| spelling | doaj-art-f8e314948e6840aaacd0acf06f02ea4e2025-08-20T02:40:30ZengTaylor & Francis GroupEmerging Microbes and Infections2222-17512025-12-0114110.1080/22221751.2024.2447610Concurrent severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus outbreaks on multiple fox farms, China, 2023Jian Sun0Lei Qian1Delong Li2Xiurong Wang3Hong Zhou4Cixiu Li5Edward C. Holmes6Jianke Wang7Juan Li8Weifeng Shi9Hebei Veterinary Biotechnology Innovation Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases in Universities of Shandong, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Ji’nan, People’s Republic of ChinaCollege of Veterinary Medicine, Southwest University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases in Universities of Shandong, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Ji’nan, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases in Universities of Shandong, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Ji’nan, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases in Universities of Shandong, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Ji’nan, People’s Republic of ChinaSchool of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, AustraliaHebei Veterinary Biotechnology Innovation Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases in Universities of Shandong, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Ji’nan, People’s Republic of ChinaRuijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of ChinaThe role of farmed animals in the viral spillover from wild animals to humans is of growing importance. Between July and September of 2023 infectious disease outbreaks were reported on six Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) farms in Shandong and Liaoning provinces, China, which lasted for 2–3 months and resulted in tens to hundreds of fatalities per farm. Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus (SFTSV) was identified in tissue/organ and swab samples from all the 13 foxes collected from these farms. These animals exhibited loss of appetite and weight loss, finally resulting in death. In autopsy and histopathology, prominently enlarged spleens and extensive multi-organ hemorrhage were observed, respectively, indicating severe systemic effects. Viral loads were detected in various tissues/organs, including brains from 9 of the 10 foxes. SFTSV was also detected in serum, anal swabs, as well as in environmental samples, including residual food in troughs used by dying foxes in follow-up studies at two farms. The 13 newly sequenced SFTSV genomes shared >99.43% nucleotide identity with human strains from China. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the 13 sequences belonged to three genotypes, and that two sequences from Liaoning were genomic reassortants, indicative of multiple sources and introduction events. This study provides the first evidence of SFTSV infection, multi-tissue tropism, and pathogenicity in farmed foxes, representing an expanded virus host range. However, the widespread circulation of different genotypes of SFTSV in farmed animals from different provinces and the diverse transmission routes, highlight its increasing and noticeable public health risk in China.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/22221751.2024.2447610Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virusesdisease outbreakArctic foxfur farmsphylogenetic analysis |
| spellingShingle | Jian Sun Lei Qian Delong Li Xiurong Wang Hong Zhou Cixiu Li Edward C. Holmes Jianke Wang Juan Li Weifeng Shi Concurrent severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus outbreaks on multiple fox farms, China, 2023 Emerging Microbes and Infections Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome viruses disease outbreak Arctic fox fur farms phylogenetic analysis |
| title | Concurrent severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus outbreaks on multiple fox farms, China, 2023 |
| title_full | Concurrent severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus outbreaks on multiple fox farms, China, 2023 |
| title_fullStr | Concurrent severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus outbreaks on multiple fox farms, China, 2023 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Concurrent severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus outbreaks on multiple fox farms, China, 2023 |
| title_short | Concurrent severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus outbreaks on multiple fox farms, China, 2023 |
| title_sort | concurrent severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus outbreaks on multiple fox farms china 2023 |
| topic | Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome viruses disease outbreak Arctic fox fur farms phylogenetic analysis |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/22221751.2024.2447610 |
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