Open AccessRisk Factors for Bunyavirus-Associated Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, China
Author(s) -
Hang Fan,
Xiaohong Guan,
Kai Kang,
Shujun Ding,
Liyong Huang,
Xuesen Xing,
Sha Sha,
Li Liu,
Xianjun Wang,
Xiaomei Zhang,
Aiguo You,
Yanhua Du,
Hang Zhou,
Sirenda Vong,
Xiaodong Zhang,
Feng Zhu,
Weizhong Yang,
Qun Li,
Wenqiang Yin
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
plos neglected tropical diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.99
H-Index - 135
eISSN - 1935-2735
pISSN - 1935-2727
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003267
Subject(s) - severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome , tick , medicine , odds ratio , transmission (telecommunications) , demographics , case control study , pediatrics , demography , veterinary medicine , immunology , virus , sociology , electrical engineering , engineering
Background Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging disease that is caused by a novel bunyavirus, referred to as SFTS virus. During January 2011 to December 2011 we conducted a case-control study in Henan, Hubei and Shandong Provinces of China to determine the risk factors for SFTS. Methods Case-patients were identified in hospitals and reported to provincial Centers for Disease Control and Prevention while being notified electronically to the National Surveillance System. Controls were randomly selected from a pool of patients admitted to the same hospital ward within one week of the inclusion of the cases. They were matched by age (+/−5 years) and gender. Results A total of 422 patients participated in the study including 134 cases and 288 matched controls. The median age of the cases was 58.8 years, ranging from 47.6 to 70.1 years; 54.5% were male. No differences in demographics were observed between cases and controls; however, farmers were frequent and more common among cases (88.8%) than controls (58.7%). In multivariate analysis, the odds for SFTS was 2.4∼4.5 fold higher with patients who reported tick bites or presence of tick in the living area. Other independent risk factors included cat or cattle ownership and reported presence of weeds and shrubs in the working environment. Conclusions Our findings support the hypothesis that ticks are important vectors of SFTS virus. Further investigations are warranted to understand the detailed modes of transmission of SFTS virus while vector management, education on tick bites prevention and personal hygiene management should be implemented for high-risk groups in high incidence areas.