# A virus found in one out of ten patients in China is carried by a tick species that is spreading across the US

Source: [Earth.com](https://www.earth.com/animals/a-tick-virus-turned-up-in-1-in-10-tested-patients-in-china-and-a-tick-that-carries-it-has-spread-in-the-us/) · 2026-11-07 · Earth & Climate
Page: https://themorning.science/story/a-virus-found-in-one-out-of-ten-patients-in-china-is-carried-by-a-tick-species-t-41e90d46a49e08e2
Kind: research · Impact: medium

## In brief

- Researchers in China found a newly identified tick-borne virus, Asian longhorned tick nairovirus (ALTNV), in 10.4 percent of 3,163 patients they tested.
- ALTNV was also found in ticks collected from 15 provinces in China.
- Patients infected with ALTNV alone recovered, and the Asian longhorned tick that carries it has spread across the US.

## Why it matters

It documents a previously unrecognised tick-borne virus found in a sizeable share of patients, and it flags that a tick species carrying it is spreading in the US. Public health and tick-surveillance researchers should track it.

## Coverage

- [A virus found in one out of ten patients in China is carried by a tick species that is spreading across the US](https://www.earth.com/animals/a-tick-virus-turned-up-in-1-in-10-tested-patients-in-china-and-a-tick-that-carries-it-has-spread-in-the-us/) — Earth.com, 2026-11-07

Tags: tick-borne virus, nairovirus, asian longhorned tick, zoonotic disease, public health

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science