Wetland virus

Wetland virus or WELV is a tick borne Orthonairovirus which can infect humans. It can produce fever, headache, dizziness, malaise, arthritis and less commonly petechiae, localized lymphadenopathy. Complications may include neurological symptoms.

Wetland virus
Virus classification
(unranked):	Virus
Realm:	Riboviria
Kingdom:	Orthornavirae
Phylum:	Negarnaviricota
Class:	Ellioviricetes
Order:	Bunyavirales
Family:	Nairoviridae
Genus:	Orthonairovirus
Virus:	Wetland virus

Virology

The Wetland virus orthonairovirus (WELV) is a member of the genus Orthonairovirus, family Nairoviridae of RNA viruses. It was first identified in 2019 in a Chinese person in Jinzhou, Liaoning province NorthEastern China after a visit to a wetland park in Yakeshi, Inner Mongolia. Three different strains were identified one from the patient and two from ticks.

Its sequence is most similar to the Tofla virus from Japan.

Hosts and transmission

The Wetland virus was found in mice, sheep, pigs, and horses, but not dogs or cattle. It was found in about 2% of 14,500 different ticks in Northeast China with the highest prevalence (6%) in Haemaphysalis concinna.

Experimental infection showed that WELV caused lethal disease even in immunocompetent mice, unlike the remainder of the viruses in Nairoviridae family.

Signs and symptoms

Symptoms of infection with the Wetland virus are fever, headache, dizziness, malaise, myalgia (muscle pain), arthritis, and back pain. Less commonly there are petechiae and localized lymphadenopathy. One person also had severe neurological symptoms, but all recovered without sequelae. Symptoms and signs resemble those of Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever, and the differential diagnosis includes severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome and spotted fever.