Elucidation of SFTSV infection in ticks

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20H03479
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 49040:Parasitology-related
• Research Institution: Yamaguchi University
• Principal Investigator: Takano Ai 山口大学, 共同獣医学部, 准教授 (90700055)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 下田 宙 山口大学, 共同獣医学部, 准教授 (40719887) ; 松村 隆之 国立感染症研究所, 治療薬・ワクチン開発研究センター, 室長 (50434379)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: マダニ / SFTSV

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study established for the first time in Japan a novel experimental systems for artificial infection of ticks with Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome virus, which is a veru serious diseases, and conducted transmission experiments using mice. As the result, we were able to clarify the vector tick species by experimentally and transmission dynamics in ticks of the virus.This research should lead to further analysis of tick-borne viral infections, which until now have remained largely unknown.

Free Research Field

マダニ媒介性感染症

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

重症熱性血小板減少症候群は、致死率が高く、現時点で確立された治療法がない重篤なマダニ媒介性感染症である。このような重篤な感染症病原体を用いたマダニでの感染実験系の確立と、媒介マダニ体内における詳細なウイルス動態の解析は、世界でも事例が少なく、非常に学術的意義が大きい。また、今後、マダニにおける解析が進むことで、新しい予防法の開発に向けた研究が進むなど、社会的な意義も大きいと言える。