A new tick-borne virus named Wetland Virus (WELV) has been discovered in China, according to a study. This virus can be transmitted to humans through tick bites and can infect the brain, leading to neurological disorders.
The findings were published in a report by the prestigious international medical journal, The New England Journal of Medicine, on September 4. The virus was first identified in June 2019.
A 61-year-old male patient in Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province, fell ill five days after being bitten by a tick in Inner Mongolia Wetland Park. The patient experienced symptoms such as fever, headache, and vomiting. Despite receiving antibiotics, the symptoms did not improve.
Analysis of the patient’s blood DNA and RNA revealed that the virus belonged to the Bunyavirales order and Orthomyxoviridae family, making it a tick-associated virus closely related to known viruses. It was named “Wetland Virus (WELV)” and shares similarities with the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, which can cause severe diseases in humans.
Following the initial discovery of the virus, researchers found WELV in other regions of Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning as well. The virus was detected in five tick species and various mammals, including livestock, with the main source being the Haemaphysalis concinna tick species.
Haemaphysalis concinna ticks, commonly found in Eurasia, were initially prevalent in Russia and Eastern Europe but have also been identified in Japan, China, Germany, and France.
Researchers detected WELV RNA in serum samples of sheep, horses, pigs, and tissue samples of Northeastern field mice raised in captivity. These findings suggest that WELV can be transmitted to humans and other animals through ticks.
Additionally, 17 patients from Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning in China were found to be infected with WELV, exhibiting symptoms such as fever, dizziness, headache, malaise, muscle pain, arthritis, back pain, as well as skin hemorrhages and swollen lymph nodes in some cases. One patient also showed neurological symptoms.
While all patients recovered after treatment, experiments conducted on mice in the laboratory showed that WELV can cause fatal infections. This indicates that although WELV may present mild symptoms in some cases, it has the potential to cause serious health issues, even affecting the nervous system.
The study was jointly conducted by researchers and teams from the Institute of Microbiology and Epidemic Prevention of the Chinese Academy of Military Medical Sciences and the Changchun Veterinary Research Institute.