After the coronavirus pandemic, a new virus called Wetland Virus (WELV) has been discovered in China, which can infect humans through tick bites. In some cases, the virus impacts the brain, leading to neurological diseases.
First identified in June 2019 in a 61-year-old patient from Jinzhou, WELV was contracted after a tick bite in the wetlands of Inner Mongolia. According to a report in The New England Journal of Medicine, the patient experienced fever, headache, vomiting, and developed antibiotic-resistant symptoms.
WELV belongs to a family of viruses known for being transmitted by ticks, some of which cause severe illnesses like Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. Researchers collected around 14,600 ticks in northern China, finding that 2% tested positive for WELV genetic material. The virus was also detected in animals such as sheep, horses, pigs, and rodents like Transbaikal zokor.
The virus was shown to cause cytopathic effects in human umbilical vein endothelial cells and led to fatal infections in animal studies. Blood samples from forest rangers in the area revealed antibodies to WELV in 12 out of 640 individuals. Testing among people who had tick bites found 20 cases with symptoms such as fever, dizziness, headache, nausea, and diarrhea. In one severe case, a patient fell into a coma due to elevated white blood cell levels in the brain and spinal fluid.
While all patients recovered after treatment, lab experiments on mice indicated that the virus could cause lethal infections and affect the nervous system, particularly the brain. The researchers concluded that WELV is pathogenic to humans and circulates among humans, ticks, and various animals in northeastern China. They emphasized the importance of improving surveillance and detection for emerging orthonairoviruses to better understand their impact on human health
