Vol.65 No.4 July 2017
Diagnosis and treatment of SFTS
Department of Hematology, Clinical Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, 454 Shitsukawa, Touon, Ehime, Japan
Abstract
Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease caused by tick-borne SFTS virus infection that was first described in rural areas of China in 2011. Since then, SFTS was also found in the western part of Japan in 2013. The clinical findings of SFTS are characterized by abrupt onset of fever and gastrointestinal symptoms, followed by a progressive decline in platelets and white blood cells. Disseminated intravascular coagulation and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis are also frequently observed in the patients in the advanced phase of SFTS. No specific treatment of SFTS is available; however, clinical effect of favipiravir is expected. Avoiding tick bites is an important way to prevent the infection of SFTS virus. Standard precautions should be applied to SFTS patients to prevent human-to-human transmission of the SFTS virus. Since ticks bearing SFTS virus are found in all area of Japan including Hokkaido, this disease has become a substantial risk to public health in all parts of Japan.
Key word
severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome, tick-borne disease, favipiravir
Received
February 17, 2017
Accepted
March 1, 2017
Jpn. J. Chemother. 65 (4): 558-563, 2017
