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Published on: November 8, 2011
Reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus in SFTSV infected patients
Li-Zhu Fang1, Yu-Hong Dong2, Zhi-Jian Yan2
1Qingdao City Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Qingdao 266033, China.
Background:
Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging hemorrhagic fever caused by a tick-borne bunyavirus SFTSV with case fatality up to 30%. The reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been proven to occur in individuals with various immune suppression conditions.
Methods:
Here, we diagnosed 22 SFTSV infected patients with PCR in a hospital in Shandong Province, China in 2020. To understand the consequences of SFTSV infection leading to EBV reactivation, we examined EBV reactivation in SFTSV-infected patients with PCR and RT-PCR.
Results:
We found that EBV was reactivated in 18.2% (4/22) of SFTS patients, suggesting that EBV reactivation is common in SFTS patients. Compared with SFTS patients without EBV reactivation, SFTS patients with EBV-reactivation had a significantly lower median level of serum albumin (32.45 g/L vs. 26.95 g/L, p = 0.03) and a significantly higher median number of urine red blood cells (0 cells/μL vs. 9 cells/μL, p = 0.04).
Conclusion:
SFTS infection can reactivate EBV in patients, which may make the clinical condition of patients worsen.
