Mapping the viruses belonging to the order Bunyavirales in China

Abstract

Background Viral pathogens belonging to the order Bunyavirales pose a continuous background threat to global health, but the fact remains that they are usually neglected and their distribution is still ambiguously known. We aim to map the geographical distribution of Bunyavirales viruses and assess the environmental suitability and transmission risk of major Bunyavirales viruses in China. Methods We assembled data on all Bunyavirales viruses detected in humans, animals and vectors from multiple sources, to update distribution maps of them across China. In addition, we predicted environmental suitability at the 10 km × 10 km pixel level by applying boosted regression tree models for two important Bunyavirales viruses, including Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) and Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV). Based on model-projected risks and air travel volume, the imported risk of RVFV was also estimated from its endemic areas to the cities in China. Results Here we mapped all 89 species of Bunyavirales viruses in China from January 1951 to June 2021. Nineteen viruses were shown to infect humans, including ten species first reported as human infections. A total of 447,848 cases infected with Bunyavirales viruses were reported, and hantaviruses, Dabie bandavirus and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) had the severest disease burden. Model-predicted maps showed that Xinjiang and southwestern Yunnan had the highest environmental suitability for CCHFV occurrence, mainly related to Hyalomma asiaticum presence, while southern China had the highest environmental suitability for Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) transmission all year round, mainly driven by livestock density, mean precipitation in the previous month. We further identified three cities including Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai, with the highest imported risk of RVFV potentially from Egypt, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Kenya. Conclusions A variety of Bunyavirales viruses are widely distributed in China, and the two major neglected Bunyavirales viruses including CCHFV and RVFV, both have the potential for outbreaks in local areas of China. Our study can help to promote the understanding of risk distribution and disease burden of Bunyavirales viruses in China, and the risk maps of CCHFV and RVFV occurrence are crucial to the targeted surveillance and control, especially in seasons and locations at high risk. Graphical abstract

Diversity of species and geographic distribution of tick-borne viruses in China

“…A study reported that more than 200 cases of CCHFV had occurred in China with more than 50 deaths as of 2003 ( Fereidouni et al, 2023 ). A population serologic study for CCHFV reported that seropositive cases could be found in northeastern, northwestern, and southern China, but no cases of human infection had been detected outside of XUAR ( Teng et al, 2022 ). Hyalomma spp.…”

“…TBVs of the family Nairoviridae were distributed in most parts of XUAR and northeastern China ( Figure 2A ). Many provinces in China had human serologic evidence suggesting the presence of CCHFV, but the provinces where CCHFV was detected in ticks was only XUAR, Yunnan and Inner Mongolia Provinces ( Teng et al, 2022 ). CCHFV was mainly distributed in the grass-covered areas around the Tarim Basin and the Tianshan Mountains in XUAR.…”

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus trends and hotspots in clinical research: A bibliometric analysis of global research

“…Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHFV), virus transmission, and Arenaviridae in #5 virus hemorrhagic fever. Teng et al ( 45 ) evaluated the environmental suitability and transmission risk of major Bunyavirales viruses in China by mapping the geographical distribution of all 89 Bunyavirales viruses reported in China from January 1951 to June 2021, and highlighted that Hantaviruses, Dabie bandavirus , and CCHFV had the severest disease burden. Two viruses, CCHFV and Rift valley fever virus (RVFV), may occur in local area outbreaks in China.…”

Distribution pattern of Crimean–Congo Hemorrhagic Fever in Asia and the Middle East

“…The CCHF virus was detected among ticks of sheep and camels in the Inner Mongolia region of China ( 43 ). From 1951 to 2021, only 447,848 cases were reported to be infected from bunyavirales viruses, and CCHFV, along with three other viruses, was reported to cause the most disease burden ( 44 ).…”