Persistent viral carriage of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus in canine: A potential canine-to-human transmission event in a family cluster
6 affiliations
- 1Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Vaccine, Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China
- 2Aksu Prefectural Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Aksu Prefectural Health Supervision Institute), Aksu, China
- 3Anji County Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Anji County Health Supervision Institute), Huzhou, China
- 4Huzhou City Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Huzhou City Health Supervision Institute), Huzhou, China
- 5Hangzhou City Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Hangzhou City Health Supervision Institute), Hangzhou, China
- 6Yuhang District Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Yuhang District Health Supervision Institute), Hangzhou, China
Abstract
Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a tick-borne viral disease with a substantial case-fatality rate. Here, we reported a family cluster of SFTS cases in Southeast China. The index case was a 57-year-old man, whose son and wife subsequently developed SFTS-compatible symptoms at two and three days after his onset, respectively. All three cases were laboratory-confirmed for SFTS, and retrospectively reported close care to a sick golden retriever prior to symptom onset. In contrast, the other two family members without such canine exposure remained serologically and clinically uninfected. All three cases denied a tick-biting history before illness onset. Subsequent testing confirmed SFTS virus (SFTSV) infection in the golden retriever, and SFTSV was also detected in a tick collected from the dog. Longitudinal viral screening of serial canine samples revealed persistent SFTSV shedding: viral positivity was sustained for 23 days in nasal swabs and urethral swabs, 27 days in serum samples, and at least 30 days in rectal swabs following its symptom onset. Genomic analysis showed near-identical SFTSV sequences from the index case and the infected dog, with identities of 99.94% for the small segment, 100% for the medium segment, and 99.98% for the large segment. This study reveals prolonged SFTSV shedding in infected canine, suggests a plausible risk of canine-to-human SFTSV transmission, and highlights the potential role of dogs in the spread and evolution of SFTSV. Author summary: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a tick-borne viral disease associated with a high case-fatality rate. Here, we reported a family cluster of SFTS virus (SFTSV) infections in Southeast China, with the substantial evidence supporting canine-associated viral transmission. A 57-year-old man and two of his family members developed SFTS after providing close care to a sick golden retriever, and none of the patients recalled a tick bite before symptom onset. Subsequent laboratory testing confirmed SFTSV infection in the pet dog, and longitudinal specimen sampling revealed persistent viral shedding from the dog for nearly one month. Genetic analysis showed that SFTSV sequences from the index patient and the infected dog were nearly identical, and shared high similarity with previously reported sequences circulating in Zhejiang Province of China, Japan, and South Korea. Our findings demonstrate that SFTSV-infected dogs can harbor and shed the virus over an extended period, suggesting that domestic dogs may serve as an important intermediate host driving the transmission and evolution of SFTSV. This study underscores the urgent need for strengthened epidemiological surveillance and improved public health awareness regarding companion animals as potential sources of human SFTSV infection.
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BibTeX
@article{ren2026persistent,
title = {{Persistent viral carriage of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus in canine: A potential canine-to-human transmission event in a family cluster}},
author = {Jiangping Ren and Shiping Gu and Ying Liu and Yulong Yang and Xuguang Shi and Xiaofu Luo and Junwei Li and Lei Zhu and Sen Li and Huimin Yao and Jin Tian and Jimin Sun},
journal = {PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pntd.0014215},
url = {https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014215},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Persistent viral carriage of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus in canine: A potential canine-to-human transmission event in a family cluster
AU - Jiangping Ren
AU - Shiping Gu
AU - Ying Liu
AU - Yulong Yang
AU - Xuguang Shi
AU - Xiaofu Luo
AU - Junwei Li
AU - Lei Zhu
AU - Sen Li
AU - Huimin Yao
AU - Jin Tian
AU - Jimin Sun
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
DO - 10.1371/journal.pntd.0014215
UR - https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014215
AB - Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a tick-borne viral disease with a substantial case-fatality rate. Here, we reported a family cluster of SFTS cases in Southeast China. The index case was a 57-year-old man, whose son and wife subsequently developed SFTS-compatible symptoms at two and three days after his onset, respectively. All three cases were laboratory-confirmed for SFTS, and retrospectively reported close care to a sick golden retriever prior to symptom onset. In contrast, the other two family members without such canine exposure remained serologically and clinically uninfected. All three cases denied a tick-biting history before illness onset. Subsequent testing confirmed SFTS virus (SFTSV) infection in the golden retriever, and SFTSV was also detected in a tick collected from the dog. Longitudinal viral screening of serial canine samples revealed persistent SFTSV shedding: viral positivity was sustained for 23 days in nasal swabs and urethral swabs, 27 days in serum samples, and at least 30 days in rectal swabs following its symptom onset. Genomic analysis showed near-identical SFTSV sequences from the index case and the infected dog, with identities of 99.94% for the small segment, 100% for the medium segment, and 99.98% for the large segment. This study reveals prolonged SFTSV shedding in infected canine, suggests a plausible risk of canine-to-human SFTSV transmission, and highlights the potential role of dogs in the spread and evolution of SFTSV. Author summary: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a tick-borne viral disease associated with a high case-fatality rate. Here, we reported a family cluster of SFTS virus (SFTSV) infections in Southeast China, with the substantial evidence supporting canine-associated viral transmission. A 57-year-old man and two of his family members developed SFTS after providing close care to a sick golden retriever, and none of the patients recalled a tick bite before symptom onset. Subsequent laboratory testing confirmed SFTSV infection in the pet dog, and longitudinal specimen sampling revealed persistent viral shedding from the dog for nearly one month. Genetic analysis showed that SFTSV sequences from the index patient and the infected dog were nearly identical, and shared high similarity with previously reported sequences circulating in Zhejiang Province of China, Japan, and South Korea. Our findings demonstrate that SFTSV-infected dogs can harbor and shed the virus over an extended period, suggesting that domestic dogs may serve as an important intermediate host driving the transmission and evolution of SFTSV. This study underscores the urgent need for strengthened epidemiological surveillance and improved public health awareness regarding companion animals as potential sources of human SFTSV infection.
SN - 1935-2735
ER -