Researchers at Osaka University in Japan are developing a rapid diagnostic test kit for Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS), a tick-borne viral disease with a high fatality rate. The project is led by an expert who warns that the virus could spread widely across the country.
SFTS is caused by a virus from the Phenuiviridae family, first identified in China in 2011, and subsequently reported in South Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Symptoms include high fever, severe thrombocytopenia (low platelet count), liver and kidney dysfunction, and can lead to death if not treated promptly. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the case fatality rate ranges from 10% to 30%, depending on the region and healthcare capacity.
The research team is led by Professor Masayuki Yamamoto, an infectious disease specialist at Osaka University. He said the new test kit is based on PCR technology and can deliver results within 30 minutes to one hour, compared to the days currently required to send samples to central laboratories. The kit detects SFTS virus RNA from patient blood or serum samples.
Professor Yamamoto warned that climate change and the movement of ticks that carry the virus could lead to more serious outbreaks in Japan, where at least 50 to 70 cases are reported annually. Currently, the disease mainly appears in rural and mountainous areas, but the risk of spread to urban areas is real.
The diagnostic kit is being tested on 200 clinical samples from Japanese hospitals, with expected accuracy above 95%. The team plans to seek regulatory approval within the next year. They are also collaborating with research institutes in ASEAN countries, including Vietnam and Thailand, to launch monitoring and prevention programs for SFTS in the region.
