REVIEW article
Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Virus and Host
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1650652
This article is part of the Research TopicViral Pathogenesis and Host Defense: Understanding the Missing Links to Combat DiseaseView all 6 articles
Advancements in Vaccine Development and Therapeutic Approaches for Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome
Provisionally accepted
- 1Jeonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju-si, Republic of Korea
- 2National Institute of Animal Science, Wanju-gun, Republic of Korea
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Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS), caused by the SFTS virus (SFTSV), is a tick-borne disease that poses a significant public health threat due to its high fatality rate and the lack of effective treatments or vaccines. Since its first identification, SFTSV has been reported in multiple countries, including China, South Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, highlighting its expanding regional footprint and potential global impact. This review summarizes recent preclinical and early clinical advancements in vaccine development and therapeutic strategies for SFTSV, with an emphasis on novel vaccine platforms and antiviral approaches. It also discusses the critical role of immunocompromised animal models, such as IFNAR⁻/⁻ and STAT2⁻/⁻ mice, in elucidating disease mechanisms and evaluating candidate interventions. Promising vaccine platforms include mRNA-based vaccines, viral vector vaccines, protein subunit vaccines, and inactivated virus vaccines. Additionally, therapeutic approaches—such as RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, immunotherapies, targeted therapeutic strategies, and traditional Chinese medicine—have demonstrated potential in preclinical and limited clinical studies. However, challenges remain, including reduced efficacy when treatment is administered late, limited validation in human clinical trials, and the risk of viral resistance. Despite progress, key challenges persist in modeling human SFTS in animals and translating preclinical findings to clinical applications. This review underscores the urgent need for continued research to address these gaps, accelerate the development of effective countermeasures, and enhance global preparedness for future SFTSV outbreaks.
Keywords: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), Vaccine candidates, animal models of SFTSV, therapeutic approaches, Antiviral Strategies
Received: 20 Jun 2025; Accepted: 25 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Hong, Ganbold, Acharya and Sheet. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Seong-Tshool Hong, Jeonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju-si, Republic of Korea
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