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J Parasit Dis Diagn Ther 2017
Volume 2 Issue 3
Tropical Medicine 2017
Notes:
Page 29
September 7-8, 2017 | Edinburgh, Scotland
4
th
International Conference on
Tropical Medicine, Infectious Diseases & Public Health
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF SEVERE FEVER WITH
THROMBOCYTOPENIA
SYNDROME
IN
KOREA: SFTSV AND MIGRATORY BIRD,
PERSON-TO-PERSON TRANSMISSION OF
SFTSV, AND COINFECTION OF SFTSV AND
ORIENTIATSUTSUGAMISHI
Keun Hwa Lee
a
, Sang Taek Heo
a
, Jeong Rae Yoo
a
, Yeojun Yun
b
and
Yu Mi Wi
c
a
Jeju National University, South Korea
b
Ewha Womans University, South Korea
c
Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea
S
evere fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS)
is tick-borne viral disease such as Crimean-Congo
hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) that was first suspected in
China in 2009, the causative virus was reported in 2011, and
SFTSV expanded from China to South Korea and Japan in
2012-2013. Most SFTSV infections occur through
Haemaphysalis longicornis
, which acts as a transmission host
between animals and humans. However, it is not known if a
genetic connection exists between the viruses in these regions
and, if so, how SFTSV is transmitted across China, South
Korea, and Japan. We hypothesize that the SFTSV in South
Korea share common phylogenetic origins with samples from
China and Japan. Further, we postulate that migratory birds,
well-known carriers of the tick H.
longicornis
, are a potential
source of SFTSV transmission across countries. Most SFTSV
infections occur through H.
longicornis
. However, SFTSV
infection can also occur between family members, and
nosocomial transmission of SFTSV is also possible through
close contact with a patient. In this study, we first analyzed
clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory data for SFTS
patients and family members of an index patient in Korea
and we suggest that person-to-person transmission of SFTSV
among family members is possible in Korea. To determine
prevalence of SFTS in South Korea, we examined serum
samples from patients with fever and insect bite history in
scrub typhus endemic areas. Prevalence of this syndrome
among patients suspected of having scrub typhus was high
(23.0%, 17/74), suggesting possible co-infection.
Biography
Keun Hwa Lee has been Graduated from Microbiology and Immunology
Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea as Ph.D.
in 2003 and started working at Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Jeju National University School of Medicine, Jeju, South Korea as a professor
from 2004 to present. He worked at Channing Lab. BWH, Harvard Medical
School, Boston, MA, USA between 2005 and 2006 as a research fellow, the
Emerging Diseases Surveillance and Response (ESR) Western Pacific World
Health Organization (WPRO) as Surveillance officer and International Health
Regulation (IHR) duty officer (Volunteer, sabbatical year) in 2014, and US Army
Medical Component-Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences
(AFRIMS) in Bangkok, Thailand from 1st Janyary to 6th July as a Visiting
Scientist (sabbatical year).
yomust7@gmail.comKeun Hwa Lee et al., J Parasit Dis Diagn Ther 2017