Eun Ju Jeong1, Joon Young Song2, Chae Seung Lim3, Ilseob Lee4, Man-Seong Park4, Min Joo Choi5, Ji Ho Jeon5, Seong Hui Kang6, Bo Kyeung Jung7, Jin Gu Yoon5, Hak Jun Hyun5, Ji Yun Noh8, Hee Jin Cheong8, Woo Joo Kim8. 1. Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Republic of Korea. 2. Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Asian Pacific Influenza Institute (APII), Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: infection@korea.ac.kr. 3. Department of Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University Guro Hospital, Gurodongro, Gurogu, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: malarim@korea.ac.kr. 4. Department of Microbiology and the Institute for Viral Diseases, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. 5. Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. 6. Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Konyang University Hospital, Daejon, Republic of Korea. 7. Department of Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University Guro Hospital, Gurodongro, Gurogu, Seoul, Republic of Korea. 8. Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Asian Pacific Influenza Institute (APII), Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a tick-borne disease characterized by high fever, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, and multiple organ failure and is caused by a novel bunyavirus. Human-to-human transmission has been reported previously, but the mode of transmission has not been clarified thoroughly. STUDY DESIGN: We identified a case of a 73-year-old woman with SFTS and performed a semi-quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (real-time RT-PCR) assay on her blood, tracheal aspirate, gastric aspirate and urine to detect SFTS virus (SFTSV). RESULTS: During 7-day hospitalization, all the serum samples showed positive Ct values lower than 35 in both the S and M segments, suggesting the presence of the SFTSV RNA. After initiation of plasma exchange, serum SFTSV load markedly decreased, but still remained positive. The SFTS viral RNA was also detected in other body fluids, including tracheal aspirate and gastric aspirate. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that droplet transmission can occur through close contact with infected patients.
BACKGROUND: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a tick-borne disease characterized by high fever, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, and multiple organ failure and is caused by a novel bunyavirus. Human-to-human transmission has been reported previously, but the mode of transmission has not been clarified thoroughly. STUDY DESIGN: We identified a case of a 73-year-old woman with SFTS and performed a semi-quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (real-time RT-PCR) assay on her blood, tracheal aspirate, gastric aspirate and urine to detect SFTS virus (SFTSV). RESULTS: During 7-day hospitalization, all the serum samples showed positive Ct values lower than 35 in both the S and M segments, suggesting the presence of the SFTSV RNA. After initiation of plasma exchange, serum SFTSV load markedly decreased, but still remained positive. The SFTS viral RNA was also detected in other body fluids, including tracheal aspirate and gastric aspirate. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that droplet transmission can occur through close contact with infectedpatients.
Authors: Joel N Maslow; Jackie J Kwon; Susan K Mikota; Susan Spruill; Youngran Cho; Moonsup Jeong Journal: Hum Vaccin Immunother Date: 2019-07-16 Impact factor: 3.452