1
|
Yu KM, Park SJ. Tick-borne viruses: Epidemiology, pathogenesis, and animal models. One Health 2024; 19:100903. [PMID: 39391267 PMCID: PMC11465198 DOI: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2024.100903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2024] [Revised: 09/22/2024] [Accepted: 09/22/2024] [Indexed: 10/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Tick-borne viruses, capable of infecting animals and humans, are expanding geographically and increasing in prevalence, posing significant global public health threats. This review explores the current epidemiology of human pathogenic tick-borne viruses, emphasizing their diversity and the spectrum of symptomatic manifestations in humans, which range from mild to severe. We highlight how the infrequent and unpredictable nature of viral outbreaks complicates the precise identification and understanding of these viruses in human infections. Furthermore, we describe the utility of animal models that accurately mimic human clinical symptoms, facilitating the development of effective control strategies. Our comprehensive analysis provides crucial insights into disease progression and emphasizes the urgent need for continued research. This work aims to provide insight into knowledge gaps to mitigate the health burden of tick-borne infections and open an avenue for further study to enhance our understanding of these emerging infectious diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kwang-Min Yu
- Research Institute of Molecular Alchemy (RIMA), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea
| | - Su-Jin Park
- Research Institute of Molecular Alchemy (RIMA), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea
- Division of Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Feng K, Bendiwhobel Ushie B, Zhang H, Li S, Deng F, Wang H, Ning YJ. Pathogenesis and virulence of Heartland virus. Virulence 2024; 15:2348252. [PMID: 38712703 PMCID: PMC11085952 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2024.2348252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Heartland virus (HRTV), an emerging tick-borne pathogenic bunyavirus, has been a concern since 2012, with an increasing incidence, expanding geographical distribution, and high pathogenicity in the United States. Infection from HRTV results in fever, thrombocytopenia, and leucopenia in humans, and in some cases, symptoms can progress to severe outcomes, including haemorrhagic disease, multi-organ failure, and even death. Currently, no vaccines or antiviral drugs are available for treatment of the HRTV disease. Moreover, little is known about HRTV-host interactions, viral replication mechanisms, pathogenesis and virulence, further hampering the development of vaccines and antiviral interventions. Here, we aimed to provide a brief review of HRTV epidemiology, molecular biology, pathogenesis and virulence on the basis of published article data to better understand this virus and provide clues for further study.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kuan Feng
- Hubei Jiangxia Laboratory, Wuhan, China
- State Key Laboratory of Virology and National Virus Resource Center, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety and Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Benjamin Bendiwhobel Ushie
- State Key Laboratory of Virology and National Virus Resource Center, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Haiyan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology and National Virus Resource Center, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety and Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Shu Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Guangzhou Women & Children’s Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fei Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Virology and National Virus Resource Center, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety and Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Hualin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology and National Virus Resource Center, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety and Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Yun-Jia Ning
- Hubei Jiangxia Laboratory, Wuhan, China
- State Key Laboratory of Virology and National Virus Resource Center, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety and Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Leal-Galvan B, Kumar D, Karim S, Saelao P, Thomas DB, Oliva Chavez A. A glimpse into the world of microRNAs and their putative roles in hard ticks. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1460705. [PMID: 39376631 PMCID: PMC11456543 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1460705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2024] [Accepted: 09/10/2024] [Indexed: 10/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Ticks are important blood feeding ectoparasites that transmit pathogens to wildlife, domestic animals, and humans. Hard ticks can feed for several days to weeks, nevertheless they often go undetected. This phenomenon can be explained by a tick's ability to release analgesics, immunosuppressives, anticoagulants, and vasodilators within their saliva. Several studies have identified extracellular vesicles (EVs) as carriers of some of these effector molecules. Further, EVs, and their contents, enhance pathogen transmission, modulate immune responses, and delay wound healing. EVs are double lipid-membrane vesicles that transport intracellular cargo, including microRNAs (miRNAs) to recipient cells. miRNAs are involved in regulating gene expression post-transcriptionally. Interestingly, tick-derived miRNAs have been shown to enhance pathogen transmission and affect vital biological processes such as oviposition, blood digestion, and molting. miRNAs have been found within tick salivary EVs. This review focuses on current knowledge of miRNA loading into EVs and homologies reported in ticks. We also describe findings in tick miRNA profiles, including miRNAs packed within tick salivary EVs. Although no functional studies have been done to investigate the role of EV-derived miRNAs in tick feeding, we discuss the functional characterization of miRNAs in tick biology and pathogen transmission. Lastly, we propose the possible uses of tick miRNAs to develop management tools for tick control and to prevent pathogen transmission. The identification and functional characterization of conserved and tick-specific salivary miRNAs targeting important molecular and immunological pathways within the host could lead to the discovery of new therapeutics for the treatment of tick-borne and non-tick-borne human diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brenda Leal-Galvan
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
- USDA-ARS Cattle Fever Tick Research Laboratory, Edinburg, TX, United States
| | - Deepak Kumar
- School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
| | - Shahid Karim
- School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
| | - Perot Saelao
- USDA-ARS Veterinary Pest Research Unit, Kerrville, TX, United States
| | - Donald B. Thomas
- USDA-ARS Cattle Fever Tick Research Laboratory, Edinburg, TX, United States
| | - Adela Oliva Chavez
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Westover JB, Jung KH, Alkan C, Boardman KM, Van Wettere AJ, Martens C, Rojas I, Hicks P, Thomas AJ, Saindane MT, Bluemling GR, Mao S, Kolykhalov AA, Natchus MG, Bates P, Painter GR, Ikegami T, Gowen BB. Modeling Heartland virus disease in mice and therapeutic intervention with 4'-fluorouridine. J Virol 2024; 98:e0013224. [PMID: 38511932 PMCID: PMC11019845 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00132-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Heartland virus (HRTV) is an emerging tick-borne bandavirus that causes a febrile illness of varying severity in humans, with cases reported in eastern and midwestern regions of the United States. No vaccines or approved therapies are available to prevent or treat HRTV disease. Here, we describe the genetic changes, natural history of disease, and pathogenesis of a mouse-adapted HRTV (MA-HRTV) that is uniformly lethal in 7- to 8-week-old AG129 mice at low challenge doses. We used this model to assess the efficacy of the ribonucleoside analog, 4'-fluorouridine (EIDD-2749), and showed that once-daily oral treatment with 3 mg/kg of drug, initiated after the onset of disease, protects mice against lethal MA-HRTV challenge and reduces viral loads in blood and tissues. Our findings provide insights into HRTV virulence and pathogenesis and support further development of EIDD-2749 as a therapeutic intervention for HRTV disease. IMPORTANCE More than 60 cases of HRTV disease spanning 14 states have been reported to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The expanding range of the Lone Star tick that transmits HRTV, the growing population of at-risk persons living in geographic areas where the tick is abundant, and the lack of antiviral treatments or vaccines raise significant public health concerns. Here, we report the development of a new small-animal model of lethal HRTV disease to gain insight into HRTV pathogenesis and the application of this model for the preclinical development of a promising new antiviral drug candidate, EIDD-2749. Our findings shed light on how the virus causes disease and support the continued development of EIDD-2749 as a therapeutic for severe cases of HRTV infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonna B. Westover
- Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
- Institute for Antiviral Research, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
| | - Kie Hoon Jung
- Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
- Institute for Antiviral Research, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
| | - Cigdem Alkan
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Kirsten M. Boardman
- Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
- Institute for Antiviral Research, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
| | - Arnaud J. Van Wettere
- Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
- Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Logan, Utah, USA
| | - Craig Martens
- Research Technologies Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Inioska Rojas
- Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
- Institute for Antiviral Research, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
| | - Philip Hicks
- Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Aaron J. Thomas
- Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
- Center for Integrated BioSystems, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
| | - Manohar T. Saindane
- Emory Institute for Drug Development, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Shuli Mao
- Emory Institute for Drug Development, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Alexander A. Kolykhalov
- Emory Institute for Drug Development, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory (DRIVE), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Michael G. Natchus
- Emory Institute for Drug Development, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Paul Bates
- Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - George R. Painter
- Emory Institute for Drug Development, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory (DRIVE), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Tetsuro Ikegami
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
- The Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
- The Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Brian B. Gowen
- Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
- Institute for Antiviral Research, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Dembek ZF, Mothershead JL, Cirimotich CM, Wu A. Heartland Virus Disease-An Underreported Emerging Infection. Microorganisms 2024; 12:286. [PMID: 38399689 PMCID: PMC10892980 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12020286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
First recognized 15 years ago, Heartland virus disease (Heartland) is a tickborne infection contracted from the transmission of Heartland virus (HRTV) through tick bites from the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) and potentially other tick species. Heartland symptoms include a fever <100.4 °F, lethargy, fatigue, headaches, myalgia, a loss of appetite, nausea, diarrhea, weight loss, arthralgia, leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. We reviewed the existing peer-reviewed literature for HRTV and Heartland to more completely characterize this rarely reported, recently discovered illness. The absence of ongoing serosurveys and targeted clinical and tickborne virus investigations specific to HRTV presence and Heartland likely contributes to infection underestimation. While HRTV transmission occurs in southern and midwestern states, the true range of this infection is likely larger than now understood. The disease's proliferation benefits from an expanded tick range due to rising climate temperatures favoring habitat expansion. We recommend HRTV disease be considered in the differential diagnosis for patients with a reported exposure to ticks in areas where HRTV has been previously identified. HRTV testing should be considered early for those matching the Heartland disease profile and nonresponsive to initial broad-spectrum antimicrobial treatment. Despite aggressive supportive therapy, patients deteriorating to sepsis early in the course of the disease have a very grim prognosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zygmunt F. Dembek
- Battelle Memorial Institute, Support to DTRA Technical Reachback, Columbus, OH 43201, USA; (Z.F.D.); (C.M.C.)
| | - Jerry L. Mothershead
- Applied Research Associates (ARA), Support to DTRA Technical Reachback, Albuquerque, NM 87110, USA;
| | - Christopher M. Cirimotich
- Battelle Memorial Institute, Support to DTRA Technical Reachback, Columbus, OH 43201, USA; (Z.F.D.); (C.M.C.)
| | - Aiguo Wu
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), Fort Belvoir, VA 22060, USA
| |
Collapse
|