Intra-tick and intra-host infection dynamics of a tick-borne bunyavirus

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PROJECT SUMMARY & ABSTRACT Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging tick-borne disease caused by the bunyavirus, SFTS virus (SFTSV). SFTSV is transmitted by the Haemaphysalis longicornis tick, which is native to East Asia but recently established invasive populations in the United States and continues to expand in geographic range. The rising incidence of SFTS cases in Asia, lack of specific treatment strategies, high case fatality rates, and global range expansion of the tick vector make SFTS a public health concern. As a tick-borne virus, SFTSV is unique from single-host viruses because it must replicate and survive in both vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. Currently, there is a critical need to elucidate the intra-tick and intra-host infection dynamics that enable bunyaviruses to infect, disseminate, and persist within the distinct environments of the tick and vertebrate host. Acquiring this fundamental knowledge is paramount to developing novel strategies that prevent SFTSV transmission. This research proposal is in direct response to NIH RFA-AI-21-046, “Promoting Bunyavirales Basic Science Research.” The overall objective is to define the dynamics of SFTSV infection, dissemination, and cell tropism within the tick vector, as well as the tick-to-host transmission timeline and initial SFTSV–host interactions in the skin. The central hypothesis is that biotic factors associated with H. longicornis’ life cycle facilitate intra-tick SFTSV dissemination to the salivary glands after molting, which in turn enables the tick to rapidly transmit SFTSV to the next vertebrate host on which it feeds while creating an immunologically privileged microenvironment at the skin site of tick feeding. The central hypothesis will be tested by pursuing two specific aims: 1) Characterize the dynamics of SFTSV infection, dissemination, and transstadial survival within H. longicornis ticks; and, 2) Define the minimum tick-to-host transmission time of SFTSV and the early host cutaneous immune response to SFTSV-infected tick feeding. Completion of these aims will define the infection kinetics and cell tropism of SFTSV within the tick vector across multiple life stages and within the skin of the vertebrate host. The proposed studies will be the first to collectively examine the intra-tick and intra-host infection dynamics of a tick-borne bunyavirus. Elucidating the fundamental H. longicornis–SFTSV–vertebrate host interactions will enable future work towards the development of rational interventions that disrupt virus survival within, and transmission between, the tick and vertebrate host.