Chinese scientists discover new virus that may affect the brain.

A new virus has been discovered in China, transmitted by ticks. This virus can infect humans and cause neurological diseases, scientists report. According to information from Live Science, the pathogen has been named the "wetland virus" and was first detected in a patient undergoing treatment in Jinzhou in June 2019.

This 61-year-old man felt sick, experienced fever, headache, and had digestive issues about five days after visiting a park in Inner Mongolia, where he was bitten by a tick. The antibiotics he was given did not alleviate his condition, indicating that the infection was not caused by bacteria.

Researchers confirmed the presence of the virus in the man's blood through DNA and RNA analysis and found that this virus is part of a group of related viruses transmitted by ticks, but it had not previously been identified in humans or animals. Following this, scientists set out to find the virus in ticks and animals in northern China, where the park visited by the sick man was located.

After collecting around 14,600 ticks, they were divided into groups based on location and species. About 2% of these groups tested positive for the virus's genetic material. Five types of ticks were found capable of carrying this virus, the most common being the Haemaphysalis concinna tick. Some sheep, horses, pigs, and a few rodents were also infected with this virus.

Antibodies against the virus were found in the blood of "healthy" foresters in 12 out of 640 samples. Research was also conducted in four hospitals in northeastern China, where samples were collected from hundreds of patients with fever within a month after a tick bite. Of the 20 samples that tested positive for the virus, three patients also had other tick-borne infections, but in 17 the infection was caused specifically by the "wetland virus".

Symptoms in patients with this virus included fever, dizziness, headache, malaise, back pain, and gastrointestinal issues. Signs of tissue damage and blood clotting were also observed in many patients.

One patient infected with this virus fell into a coma. High levels of white blood cells, indicative of infection, were found in his cerebrospinal fluid. Thanks to treatment, all patients recovered.

When scientists tested this virus on laboratory mice, they found that it could cause fatal infections affecting multiple organs, including the brain. This discovery confirms the potential severity of this virus's impact on the human nervous system.

Issues with the Mpox virus

Scientists studying the Mpox virus strain that spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo also reported that the virus is changing faster than expected. Besides rapid mutation, a problem is its spread to regions where experts lack funding and equipment to track and control it. This complicates efforts to combat this virus, reports Reuters, citing scientists from Africa, Europe, and the USA.