Warning: China virus A newly discovered virus carried by ticks can harm the brain. This is how

 According to the recently uncovered data, this tick-borne virus that was found in China can infect humans and can also enter their brains.

Following the coronavirus, a novel virus known as the Wetland Virus (WELV) has recently been discovered in China. Humans can contract WELV through tick bites, and in certain cases, it can affect the brain and cause neurological illness.

The first case of WELV was reported in June 2019 in a 61-year-old Jinzhou patient who had become ill from tick bites in Inner Mongolian wetlands.

According to a report that was published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the patient experienced symptoms that were resistant to antibiotics along with fever, headache, and vomiting after contracting the virus.

The effects of tick-borne viruses on humans

The tick-borne virus is a member of a viral family that is well-known for being spread by ticks. Like the virus that causes Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, these viruses can cause serious illness in humans.

Following the initial discovery of the virus, the researchers carried out a comprehensive investigation. They collected nearly 14,600 ticks from various locations in northern China, and found that 2 percent of them tested positive for WELV genetic material.

The virus, known as Transbaikal zokor, was also found by the doctors in sheep, horses, pigs, and rodents.

 It was previously established that the virus could induce lethal infections in animal models and cytopathic effects in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

After analyzing blood samples taken from local forest rangers, the researchers discovered that about 12 out of 640 people had antibodies to WELV.

Twenty patients who had tick bites and exhibited symptoms like fever, headache, nausea, dizziness, and diarrhea tested positive for the virus.

According to the reports, elevated white blood cell counts in the spinal fluid and brain also caused one patient to go into a coma.

Despite the fact that all patients recovered following treatment, it was found in laboratory studies using mice that the virus can cause fatal infections and impact the nervous system, particularly the brain.

When combined, these findings imply that WELV, a recently identified orthonairovirus, is [pathogenic] to humans. and spreads throughout people, ticks, and other animals in northeastern China "the researchers said.

"Improving orthonairovirus surveillance and detection will allow a better understanding of the impact these viruses have on human health," they continued.