Minimum Feeding Time Required for Haemaphysalis longicornis To Transmit Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus

Author

Bailey Hettinger, University of South AlabamaFollow

Date of Award

8-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.S.

Department

Biological Sciences

Committee Chair

Meghan E. Hermance

Advisor(s)

Kevin Macaluso, Jason Strickland

Abstract

Hidden behind the world’s best understood pathogens lie the often overlooked, high-risk tick-borne viruses. Among them, few were recognized by the Word Health Organization as a high priority arbovirus with notable public health risk and recognized person-to-person transmission. One of these viruses is Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus (SFTSV). SFTSV causes the disease Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS). SFTSV is a highly pathogenic vector-borne pathogen with its major vector being the Asian Longhorn tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis. The first step in this study was to generate and compare different SFTSV nymph infection methods. The most appropriate nymph infection method was used in tick-to-host transmission experiments. We fed these nymphs on mice for 2, 4, or 8 hours to determine the minimum feeding time required for an H. longicornis nymph to transmit SFTSV to a mouse host. The results of this study demonstrated that SFTSV RNA and SFTSV-specific antibodies were detected in the host after only 2 and 4 hours of H. longicornis feeding, respectively. These results support the hypothesis that SFTSV can be transmitted from H. longicornis to a naïve host within minutes or hours of that tick feeding.

Recommended Citation

Hettinger, Bailey, "Minimum Feeding Time Required for Haemaphysalis longicornis To Transmit Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus" (2025). Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present). 227.
https://jagworks.southalabama.edu/theses_diss/227