{"title":"Possible Transmission of Severe Fever with the Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus to an Individual Who Buried an Infected Cat.","authors":"Hirohisa Mekata, Takeshi Kawaguchi, Kosho Iwao, Kazumi Umeki, Kentaro Yamada, Kunihiko Umekita, Tamaki Okabayashi","doi":"10.7883/yoken.JJID.2022.425","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is caused by the severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV). Although SFTS is a fatal tick-borne zoonosis, it can infect humans without tick bite exposure. Recently, direct transmission of SFTSV from companion pets to humans has become a major problem. We present a case of SFTSV transmission from a dead community cat to a woman who buried the cat in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. The community cat died without a diagnosis of SFTS, and the woman buried it without taking any precautions. She developed symptoms of SFTS 9 days later. The woman tested positive for SFTS viral RNA and anti-SFTSV antibodies. The cat's carcass was exhumed, and tissue samples were collected to confirm the viral infection. Numerous copies of viral RNA were detected. The SFTSV M segment sequences in the cat and the woman were 100% homologous. The woman claimed that she had touched blood that had leaked from the cat's body while burying it. However, she could have been infected while transporting the cat to the animal hospital. This study highlights the risk of SFTSV infection from contact with sick or dead community cats.</p>","PeriodicalId":14608,"journal":{"name":"Japanese journal of infectious diseases","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3000,"publicationDate":"2023-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"2","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Japanese journal of infectious diseases","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.7883/yoken.JJID.2022.425","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"INFECTIOUS DISEASES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 2
Abstract
Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is caused by the severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV). Although SFTS is a fatal tick-borne zoonosis, it can infect humans without tick bite exposure. Recently, direct transmission of SFTSV from companion pets to humans has become a major problem. We present a case of SFTSV transmission from a dead community cat to a woman who buried the cat in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. The community cat died without a diagnosis of SFTS, and the woman buried it without taking any precautions. She developed symptoms of SFTS 9 days later. The woman tested positive for SFTS viral RNA and anti-SFTSV antibodies. The cat's carcass was exhumed, and tissue samples were collected to confirm the viral infection. Numerous copies of viral RNA were detected. The SFTSV M segment sequences in the cat and the woman were 100% homologous. The woman claimed that she had touched blood that had leaked from the cat's body while burying it. However, she could have been infected while transporting the cat to the animal hospital. This study highlights the risk of SFTSV infection from contact with sick or dead community cats.
期刊介绍:
Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases (JJID), an official bimonthly publication of National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, publishes papers dealing with basic research on infectious diseases relevant to humans in the fields of bacteriology, virology, mycology, parasitology, medical entomology, vaccinology, and toxinology. Pathology, immunology, biochemistry, and blood safety related to microbial pathogens are among the fields covered. Sections include: original papers, short communications, epidemiological reports, methods, laboratory and epidemiology communications, letters to the editor, and reviews.