MicrobeWorld

Chinese researchers have identified a novel bunyavirus that may be the cause of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS); their research has been published online March 16 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Xue-Jie Yu, M.D., Ph.D., of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing, and colleagues analyzed blood samples from SFTS patients from six Chinese provinces to isolate the pathogen responsible for the disease.