Journal of Microbiology

Review

Epidemiology and spillover risk of SFTSV in animals across East Asia: Yun-Seon Shin, Jeong Yoon Lee, Jun-Gu Kang; J. Microbiol. 2026;64(10):e2608006. Published online October 31, 2026; DOI: https://doi.org/10.71150/jm.2608006

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Abstract PDF: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging tick‑borne zoonosis in East Asia, yet the contribution of animals to virus maintenance and spillover remains incompletely characterized. This review examines current evidence of SFTS virus (SFTSV) infection across domestic livestock, companion animals, wildlife, and captive species, focusing on host range, geographic distribution, diagnostics, and reports of viral RNA and virus isolation. Available data indicate that SFTSV exposure and infection occur across a broad range of animal hosts, supporting a multi-host ecological framework rather than a simple single-reservoir interpretation. Domestic ruminants frequently exhibit high seroprevalence and may function as sentinels of enzootic activity, while occasional virus isolation from cattle demonstrates that viable virus can be recovered from naturally infected livestock, although this does not establish reservoir or amplification competence. Companion animals are considered a potential interface for interspecies transmission, as some studies have documented severe clinical disease, high viral loads, and cat-associated human transmission events supported by varying levels of epidemiological and genomic evidence. Studies in wildlife further document exposure and natural infection across diverse taxa, although their specific roles in viral maintenance remain unresolved. Interpretation of these findings depends heavily on the diagnostic modality: serology primarily indicates prior exposure, RNA detection supports current or recent infection, and virus isolation demonstrates that viable virus was present in the sampled material. Integrating animal infection data within an ecological framework reveals major knowledge gaps related to reservoir competence, infectious shedding, phylogenetic connections among animal, tick, and human cases, and implications for prevention. The review underscores the need for One Health surveillance that incorporates clinical data from companion animals and applies evidence‑based interpretation to improve recognition of animal–human interfaces associated with potential spillover risk.

Article

Complete genetic dissection and cell type-specific replication of old world alphaviruses, getah virus (GETV) and sagiyama virus (SAGV): Yiwen Zhang , Jinhan Yu , Lu Tan , Xingxing Wang , Runsheng Li , Dal Young Kim; J. Microbiol. 2021;59(11):1044-1055. Published online September 27, 2021; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-021-1361-8

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Getah virus (GETV), which was first isolated in Malaysia in 1955, and Sagiyama virus (SAGV), isolated in Japan in 1956, are members of the genus Alphavirus in the family Togaviridae. It is a consensus view that SAGV is a variant of GETV. In the present study, we determined the complete sequences of the prototype GETV MM2021 and SAGV M6-Mag132 genomic RNA extracted from plaque-purified viruses. The MM2021 genome was 11,692 nucleotides (nt) in length in the absence of 3􍿁􀁇poly(A) tail, and the length of M6-Mag132 genome was 11,698 nt. Through sequence alignment of MM2021 and M6-Mag132, we located all the amino acid differences between these two strains, which were scattered in all the encoded proteins. Subsequently, we validated the close evolutionary relationship between GETV and SAGV by constructing phylogenetic trees based on either complete genomes or structural genomes. We eventually analyzed the growth kinetics of GETV and SAGV as well as other representative alphaviruses in various mammalian and insect cell lines. It was shown that human-oriented cell lines such as HEK-293T and Hela cells were relatively resistant to GETV and SAGV infection due to absence of proviral factors or species-specific barrier. On the other hand, both GETV and SAGV replicated efficiently in non-human cell lines. Our results provide essential genetic information for future epidemiological surveillance on Alphaviruses and lay the foundation for developing effective interventions against GETV and SAGV.

Citations

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Getah virus, a re-emerging arbovirus: epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnostics and biosecurity
Nicholas K.Y. Yuen
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Jia-Xi Li, Hua-Hua Kang, Sheng-Nan Chen, Xia Zhou, Wei Wang, Yong-Song Li, Zhu-Qi Hu, Xiao-Ming Zhou, Shao-Lun Zhai
Frontiers in Veterinary Science.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
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Muhammad Umar Sharif, Chunchun Liu, Yafeng Qiu
Veterinary Sciences.2026; 13(10): 1092. CrossRef
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Fengqin Li, Lishuang Deng, Tong Xu, Lei Xu, Zhiwen Xu, Siyuan Lai, Yanru Ai, Yanqun Wang, Guangwen Yan, Ling Zhu
Frontiers in Microbiology.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
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Animals.2024; 14(20): 2980. CrossRef
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Makoto Takeishi, Shigeru Morikawa, Ryusei Kuwata, Mitsumori Kawaminami, Hiroshi Shimoda, Haruhiko Isawa, Ken Maeda, Yasuhiro Yoshikawa
In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology - Animal.2024; 60(8): 935. CrossRef
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Frontiers in Veterinary Science.2022;[Epub] CrossRef

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

The Presence of Borrelia valaisiana-Related Genospecies in Ticks and a Rodent in Taiwan: Chun-Man Huang , Hsi-Chieh Wang , Ying-Chun Lin , Shih-Hui Chiu , Ying-Shun Kao , Pei-Lung Lee , Hsiu-I Wang , Ruei-Chen Hung , Huang-I Chan , Ho-Sheng Wu , Chuen-Sheue Chiang , Jung-Jung Mu; J. Microbiol. 2010;48(6):877-880. Published online January 9, 2011; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-010-0331-3

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Abstract PDF

A field survey was conducted to investigate the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) in six counties of Taiwan. Spirochetes were successfully isolated from one rodent ear sample out of 485 rodent ears and 53 live, fed tick (Ixodes granulatus) samples. The spirochetes were confirmed to be B. burgdorferi s.l. by real-time PCR. In addition, 23 of 113 tick samples were tested positive for Borrelia DNA according to real-time PCR. The Borrelia isolate from the rodent and the 23 Borrelia DNA samples from the ticks were identified as B. valaisiana-related genospecies by phylogenetic analysis based on flagellin gene sequences. These findings suggest that the Borrelia valaisiana-related strains are maintained in a zoonotic cycle between tick vectors and reservoir hosts in Taiwan.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Prevalence and zoonotic potential of pathogens in micromammals (rodents and insectivores) in the Republic of Korea
Beoul Kim, You-Jeong Lee, Insu Choi, Yong‑Myung Kang, Dongmi Kwak, Min-Goo Seo
Acta Tropica.2025; 266: 107649. CrossRef
WidespreadRickettsiaspp. Infections in Ticks (Acari: Ixodoidea) in Taiwan
Chi-Chien Kuo, Pei-Yun Shu, Jung-Jung Mu, Pei-Lung Lee, Yin-Wen Wu, Chien-Kung Chung, Hsi-Chieh Wang
Journal of Medical Entomology.2015; 52(5): 1096. CrossRef
Lyme borreliosis caused by diverse genospecies of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in northeastern China
X.-B. Ni, N. Jia, B.-G. Jiang, T. Sun, Y.-C. Zheng, Q.-B. Huo, K. Liu, L. Ma, Q.-M. Zhao, H. Yang, X. Wang, J.-F. Jiang, W.-C. Cao
Clinical Microbiology and Infection.2014; 20(8): 808. CrossRef
Exploring gaps in our knowledge on Lyme borreliosis spirochaetes – Updates on complex heterogeneity, ecology, and pathogenicity
Jan Franke, Anke Hildebrandt, Wolfram Dorn
Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases.2013; 4(1-2): 11. CrossRef

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