Kaur Manpreet, Adam Monica, Mladinich Megan C
Department of Biological Sciences, SUNY Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, USA.
Virulence. 2025 Dec;16(1):2523887. doi: 10.1080/21505594.2025.2523887. Epub 2025 Jun 26.
Powassan viruses (POWV) are emergent tick-borne Flaviviruses that cause severe encephalitis and long-term neurologic sequelae in patients. POWVs are rapidly spread in the saliva of tick species during a 15-minute tick bite. In recent years, there has been an increased incidence of severe POWV disease in the Northeastern United States and seroprevalence studies suggest that POWV is underreported. Concurrently, the geographic range of vector tick species has and continues to expand, suggesting that POWV incidence in the US will only increase. Despite the expanding geographic range of vector ticks and increased incidence of POWV disease in recent years, there are currently no licenced vaccines or therapeutics for treating POWV disease. Here, we review the current literature and understanding of POWV with an emphasis on POWV epidemiology, pathogenesis, virulence factors and host immune responses. We also highlight gaps in the current POWV knowledge and directions for future POWV research efforts.
波瓦桑病毒（POWV）是一种新出现的蜱传黄病毒，可导致患者出现严重脑炎和长期神经后遗症。在蜱虫叮咬15分钟的过程中，波瓦桑病毒会在蜱虫唾液中迅速传播。近年来，美国东北部严重波瓦桑病毒病的发病率有所上升，血清学患病率研究表明，波瓦桑病毒的报告率偏低。与此同时，媒介蜱虫物种的地理分布范围已经并将继续扩大，这表明美国波瓦桑病毒的发病率只会上升。尽管近年来媒介蜱虫的地理分布范围不断扩大，波瓦桑病毒病的发病率不断上升，但目前尚无用于治疗波瓦桑病毒病的获批疫苗或疗法。在此，我们回顾了当前关于波瓦桑病毒的文献和认识，重点关注波瓦桑病毒的流行病学、发病机制、毒力因子和宿主免疫反应。我们还强调了当前波瓦桑病毒知识方面的差距以及未来波瓦桑病毒研究工作的方向。
