Department of Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2018 Apr;98(4):1194-1196. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.17-0963. Epub 2018 Feb 22.
Heartland virus (HRTV) is a phlebovirus suspected to be transmitted by , commonly known as the lone star tick, and reported to cause illness in humans, which is characterized by thrombocytopenia and leukopenia. Heartland virus-reactive antibodies have been detected in a variety of wildlife species including white-tailed deer (WTD). To better understand the potential role of deer in the epidemiology of HRTV, we experimentally inoculated five WTD fawns with HRTV and monitored for clinical disease, viremia, virus shedding, and seroconversion. None of the animals showed signs of clinical disease, and there was no detectable viremia or virus shedding postinoculation. Two wild-caught fawns entered the study with preexisting antibody titers against HRTV. All animals showed minimal immune responses against HRTV after needle inoculation. In conclusion, this study does not indicate that WTD are a likely reservoir for HRTV in natural settings.
心域病毒（HRTV）是一种黄病毒，被怀疑通过孤星蜱传播，孤星蜱俗称德克萨斯长角牛蜱，据报道可引起人类疾病，其特征是血小板减少和白细胞减少。心域病毒反应性抗体已在包括白尾鹿（WTD）在内的多种野生动物物种中检测到。为了更好地了解鹿在 HRTV 流行病学中的潜在作用，我们用 HRTV 对五只 WTD 小鹿进行了实验性接种，并监测临床疾病、病毒血症、病毒脱落和血清转化。没有动物出现临床疾病迹象，接种后也没有检测到可检测的病毒血症或病毒脱落。两只野生捕获的小鹿在进入研究时已经具有针对 HRTV 的抗体滴度。所有动物在针接种后对 HRTV 的免疫反应都很小。总之，本研究表明 WTD 不太可能是自然环境中 HRTV 的储存宿主。
