London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

New infectious disease caused by a virus discovered in Japan, researchers say

New infectious disease caused by a virus discovered in Japan, researchers say

A previously unknown virus capable of infecting humans has been discovered by scientists in Japan. Called the Yezo virus, it is related to pathogens causing Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever and Nairobi sheep disease.
The first reported case involving the new virus was recorded in Japan in 2019. At that time, a 41-year-old man was admitted to hospital with fever and leg pain after suffering a tick bite during a stroll through a forest on the Japanese island of Hokkaido.

The man, who was successfully discharged from the hospital following two weeks of treatment, tested negative for all tick-borne viruses known at that time. Researchers from Hokkaido University, including Dr. Keita Matsuno, a virologist at the university’s International Institute for Zoonosis Control, subsequently analyzed the patient’s blood samples and discovered a new virus.

The team presented its research results in the journal ‘Nature Communications’ in late September. The new virus turned out to be a part of a family of 15 species called ‘nairoviruses’, four of which can cause disease in humans.

One of the nairoviruses is known to cause Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever, which manifests as muscle pains, diarrhea and bleeding into skin, potentially leading to liver failure and death. The novel virus appears to be most closely related to the Sulina virus and Tamdy virus, found in Romania and Uzbekistan, respectively. The Tamdy virus reportedly caused acute fever in China in recent years, according to research published in 2020.

The new Yezo virus could cause high temperatures up to 39 degrees Celsius, as well as reduce the number of blood platelets and while blood cells – or leucocytes – responsible for protecting the human body from infectious agents like bacteria and viruses.

The researchers then analyzed the blood samples of some other patients with similar symptoms starting from 2014. “At least seven people have been infected with this new virus in Japan since 2014, but, so far, no deaths have been confirmed,” Matsuno said.

The scientists also sought to discover the source of the virus, finding that Yezo virus RNA was present in three major tick species across the northern Japanese island. Antibodies to the virus were also found in deer and raccoons inhabiting the area. Now the researchers believe that testing for the new disease outside of Hokkaido is of utmost importance. The team plans to track potential nationwide distribution of the virus in humans and animals alike.

“All of the cases of Yezo virus infection we know of so far did not turn into fatalities, but it’s very likely that the disease is found beyond Hokkaido, so we need to urgently investigate its spread,” they said.
Comments

Claire Sheppard 4 year ago
Yawn...of course "new" viruses will continue to be "discovered." Because people are being trained to be AFRAID, AFRAID, AFRAID!

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×