Phylogenetic and Genetic Evolution Analysis of Complete SFTSV Genome Sequences in Shandong Province, China

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease caused by SFTS virus (SFTSV). Shandong province is one of the epidemic regions with high incidence rate of SFTS. To investigate phylogenetical and genetic evolution characteristics of SFTSV in Shandong province, we isolated SFTSV from suspected patients between April 2023 and October 2024, and then whole SFTSV genomes were amplified and sequenced in this study. A total of 25 new strains were analyzed together 56 strains submitted in Genbank from Shandong province. Phylogenetical and genetic analyses of the data set revealed that four genotypes were co-circulating in Shandong province. C3 genotype was the most common genotype in each year with lower genetic divergence. 298 amino acid substitutions were detected in the four proteins of SFTSV, but only two substitutions (Arg624Lys and Arg962Ser) had been proven to have potential impacts on biological functions. In addition, one reassortment strain (C3/C4/C4 for L, M and S segments) and three recombinant strains were identified. Analysis of selection pressure at the level of amino acid substitutions indicated genes within the four ORFs of SFTSV were all subjected to negative selection. In conclusion, the genetic characteristics and evolutionary mechanism of SFTSV was complex in Shandong province. It is necessary to conduct continuous surveillance to grasp the genetic evolution patterns, and to discover novel prevalent variants in a timely manner.