Latest Advances and Prospects in the Pathogenesis, Animal Models, and Vaccine Research of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus

Chenghao Chen¹Jiaxuan Li¹Yumo Zhou¹Yuwen Zhang²Renjin Huang³Yanjun Zhang⁴Jianhua Li⁴Keda Chen^5*

• ¹Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
• ²Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
• ³Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
• ⁴Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China
• ⁵Shulan International Medical College, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou, China

Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus (SFTSV) is), a novel tick-borne virusphlebovirus first identified in China. The clinical manifestations of infected patients are primarily, causes severe illness characterized by high fever, thrombocytopenia, and leukopenia, withand, in some patients potentially progressing to severe cases, multi-organ failure and even death. In recent years, the virus has been reported in several Asian countries, including South Korea and Japan, and poses a potential risk for a widespread outbreak. In SFTSV endemic regions, theWith mortality rate rangesrates ranging from 5% to 30%, severely threatening % in endemic regions, SFTSV has emerged as a significant public health security.threat across East Asia, including South Korea and Japan, with potential for broader outbreaks. This article reviews the latest progressreview synthesizes recent advances in SFTSV animal models and candidate vaccines and offers insights into future research directions. Although significant progress has been made in the development of, highlighting their contributions and limitations. Current animal models, none of the existing models fully including mice, ferrets, and non-human primates, partially replicate the clinical manifestations of human infection. At the same time, vaccine development shows promising potential,human disease but remainsfail to fully recapitulate clinical manifestations, limiting their translational utility. Vaccine development has shown promise, with candidates such as mRNA, subunit, and viral vector vaccines demonstrating efficacy in the preclinical stage. Therefore, further research is required for thestudies, yet none have progressed to clinical trials. Key challenges include viral genetic diversity and immune evasion. Future research should focus on refining animal models to better mimic human pathology, developing broad-spectrum vaccines, and integrating virological and immunological insights to enhance prevention and treatment of strategies for SFTSV.