Scientists in China have identified a previously unknown tick-borne virus that can cause flu-like illness, fatigue and gastrointestinal symptoms, according to a new study.The newly discovered virus, the Asian longhorned tick nairovirus (ALTNV) — which is part of the orthonairovirus group — has also been found to cause thrombocytopenia (reduced blood platelet counts) and laboratory evidence of liver-cell injury or inflammation.Since 2009, Chinese researchers have been tracking patients with unusual illnesses, including severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), according to Dr.Sharon Nachman, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital in New York.NO CURE, NO VACCINE: EXPERTS WARN OF RARE BOURBON VIRUS AFTER FIRST NY CASE"Thrombocynopenia is low platelet count, so those patients bled, and it had about a 30% mortality, which is quite high," she told Fox News Digital.
"So they kept following those patients."Many of the cases were linked to Dabie bandavirus (DBV), a tick-borne hemorrhagic fever — but it was not the most common virus.The newly discovered virus, the Asian longhorned tick nairovirus (ALTNV) — which is part of the orthonairovirus group — has also been found to cause thrombocytopenia (reduced blood platelet counts) and laboratory evidence of liver-cell injury or inflammation.(Getty Images)After extensive testing of blood samples and viral fragments, researchers identified the new virus, ALTNV, which is genetically distinct from DBV.Researchers from the State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity in Beijing identified the virus in 10.4% of 3,163 patients who had been bitted by ticks.HANTAVIRUS IN THE US: WHERE THE RARE, SOMETIMES DEADLY DISEASE HAS BEEN FOUNDPatients who had both ALTNV and DBV were more likely to have respiratory issues and kidney complications.
Seven (18.4%) of these patients died during the course of the study."The cocirculation of ALTNV and DBV in the same areas, coupled with their ...