Which species is the carrier of the SFTS ( severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome) virus?
The possibility that SFTSV transmission may occur by both the transstadial and transovarial routes was suggested by the fact that viral RNA was detected in Haemaphysalis longicornis at all developmental stages. Tick-derived sequences shared over 95.6% identity with human- and animal-derived isolates. This study provides evidence that implicates ticks as not only vectors but also, reservoirs of SFTSV.