The first imported case of Rift Valley fever in China reveals a genetic reassortment of different viral lineages

• DOI: 10.1038/emi.2016.136
• Publication Date: 2017-01-18T08:23:18Z
• Authors: Jingyuan Liu; Yulan Sun; Weifeng Shi; Shuguang Tan; Yang Pan; Shujuan Cui; Qingchao Zhang; Xiangfeng Dou; Yanning Lv; Xinyu Li; Xitai Li; Lijuan Chen; Chuansong Quan; Qianli Wang; Yingze Zhao; Qiang lv; Wenhao Hua; Hui Zeng; Zhihai Chen; Haofeng Xiong; Chengyu Jiang; Xinghuo Pang; Fujie Zhang; Mifang Liang; Guizhen Wu; George F Gao; William J Liu; Ang Li; Quanyi Wang
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; China; Livestock; Genes, Viral; Rift Valley Fever; hypercytokinemia; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Genome, Viral; Microbiology; Methylprednisolone; imported case; 03 medical and health sciences; Animals; Humans; Phylogeny; Travel; 0303 health sciences; Genetic Variation; Middle Aged; Viral Load; Rift Valley fever virus; QR1-502; 3. Good health; Angola; Cytokines; RNA, Viral; reassortment; Original Article; Chemokines; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Reassortant Viruses

We report the first imported case of Rift Valley fever (RVF) in China. The patient returned from Angola, a non-epidemic country, with an infection of a new reassortant from different lineages of Rift Valley fever viruses (RVFVs). The patient developed multiorgan dysfunction and gradually recovered with continuous renal replacement therapy and a short regimen of methylprednisolone treatment. The disordered cytokines and chemokines in the plasma of the patient revealed hypercytokinemia, but the levels of protective cytokines were low upon admission and fluctuated as the disease improved. Whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis revealed that the imported strain was a reassortant comprising the L and M genes from lineage E and the S gene from lineage A. This case highlights that RVFV had undergone genetic reassortment, which could potentially alter its biological properties, cause large outbreaks and pose a serious threat to global public health as well as the livestock breeding industry.