Incurable disease with high fatality rate kills Japanese vet who treated a cat

A veterinarian in Japan died after contracting the thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) virus, reportedly from a cat. This is the first case of a vet dying from the suspected animal-to-human transmission of the virus. The veterinarian association of the country has warned members to remain vigilant against the virus. They are shocked to know that the virus did not transmit to the vet in the typical way - through a tick bite. This has sent alarm bells ringing in Japan.

An official of the Japan Veterinary Medical Association (JVMA) confirmed to SCMP that the unnamed vet treated the cat at his clinic in Mie prefecture in May. He was hospitalised after developing symptoms and passed away soon after.

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None of the staff members or the cat's owner contracted the virus. An autopsy did not find any signs of a tick bite either. This has left experts puzzled about how the virus was transmitted.

“We are still not absolutely sure how this infection happened, and the ministry of health is working with prefectural authorities to determine all the details,” said Daisuke Tsukamoto, a spokesman for the JVMA.

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The National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) has issued an advisory for veterinarians. The 17-page report has asked them to remain alert to avoid tick bites, how to know which animals is infected and the dangers their fluids can pose, and how to dispose of their dead bodies.

Symptoms of the SFTS virus

According to the research institute affiliated with Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the virus manifests itself in the form of fever, loss of energy and appetite, vomiting, jaundice and a tic bite. The white blood cell and platelet count go down, while AST enzyme levels in the liver, heart, muscles and kidneys rise.

The first time the disease was identified was in 2011. It cannot be treated, and the infected person dies of multiple organ failure. Later research showed that cases of the virus likely existed in 2006 also. In 2011, 571 SFTS cases and 59 deaths were reported in China.

In which countries has SFTS been found?

Forty cases of the virus were reported in Japan in 2013, the first time SFTS reached the country. This year, a total of 1,071 cases have been confirmed, and 117 people have lost their lives. Cases of the virus have also been recorded in South Korea, Vietnam and Taiwan, with the fatality rate varying between 12 per cent and more than 30 per cent.

The NIID recommended in 2019 that SFTS should be classified as a new viral haemorrhagic fever, in the same group as Ebola and dengue. Deer and boars in Japan, but also by hedgehogs, cattle, goats and sheep, are the primary carriers of the virus in Japan.