Meghan Hermance
University of South Alabama, AL·Microbiology & Immunology
Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging tick-borne disease with a high death rate and no specific treatment. It is caused by SFTS virus (SFTSV), a bunyavirus.
- Fields
Microbiology & Immunology
Public Health & Epidemiology
Biology
- Topics
severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome
bunyavirus
Bunyavirales
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Jun 2027
What they work on
- Characterize how severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) infects, spreads within and survives molting in Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks, including which tick cell types it infects across life stages.
- Test whether the tick life cycle helps SFTSV reach the salivary glands after molting, allowing ticks to transmit the virus quickly to the next vertebrate host they feed on.
- Define the minimum tick feeding time needed to transmit SFTSV to a vertebrate host, and describe the early immune response in the skin where infected ticks feed.
More about the research
The virus spreads through the Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis. This tick is native to East Asia but has established invasive populations in the United States and keeps spreading. Unlike viruses that infect only one host, SFTSV must survive and multiply both inside ticks and inside vertebrate animals. How it does so is poorly understood, and that knowledge is needed to block transmission.
Why it matters
SFTS virus is a World Health Organization priority pathogen that causes hemorrhagic disease with no specific treatment, and its tick vector is spreading in the United States. Knowing when and how ticks transmit the virus, and how the skin responds, could guide future interventions that stop the virus from surviving in ticks or passing to people and animals.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
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The school
University of South Alabama: 5 labs on PI Pages, $70M a year on research, 53 research doctorates a year.
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