Japan’s veterinarian association has urged members to step up precautions against the potentially deadly severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) virus, after what is believed to be the country’s first case of a veterinarian dying from suspected animal-to-human transmission. The vet, who has not been named, developed symptoms of the virus after treating a cat at his practice in Mie prefecture in May, an official of the Japan Veterinary Medical Association (JVMA) confirmed. The vet was hospitalised but died a few days later. Puzzlingly, an autopsy did not find the telltale tick bite that typically transmits the virus, while the cat’s owner and other staff at the clinic have not displayed any symptoms. “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. “We have been working with our members in Mie prefecture to try to find out more, and we quickly issued an alert to our members to share as much information about SFTS and how to avoid being infected,” he told This Week in Asia.

Full report : A Japanese veterinarian’s puzzling death from SFTS highlights the danger of this tick-borne virus for which there is no known cure.