Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), an emerging tick-borne zoonosis, has been rapidly spread in many Asian counties since 2010, which raises the great concern in East Asia. Nevertheless, the infection status of SFTS in Taiwan remains unclear. To investigate the existence of SFTSV in Taiwan, a total of 151 serum samples collected from 31 sheep, 63 bovine and 57 dogs were enrolled this study. Furthermore, 360 adult female Rhipicephalus microplus were also included. One-step RT-nested PCR and IgG ELISA were conducted to test SFTSV specific RNA and antibodies, respectively. The result provided the first evidence of the existence of SFTSV RNA and antibodies in ruminants and ticks in Taiwan.

Curcumin, a natural compound and ingredient in curry, has antiinflammatory, antioxidant, and anticarcinogenic properties. Previously, we reported that curcumin abrogated influenza virus infectivity by inhibiting hemagglutination (HA) activity. This study demonstrates a novel mechanism by which curcumin inhibits the infectivity of enveloped viruses. In all analyzed enveloped viruses, including the influenza virus, curcumin inhibited plaque formation. In contrast, the nonenveloped enterovirus 71 remained unaffected by curcumin treatment. We evaluated the effects of curcumin on the membrane structure using fluorescent dye (sulforhodamine B; SRB)-containing liposomes that mimic the viral envelope. Curcumin treatment induced the leakage of SRB from these liposomes and the addition of the influenza virus reduced the leakage, indicating that curcumin disrupts the integrity of the membranes of viral envelopes and of liposomes. When testing liposomes of various diameters, we detected higher levels of SRB leakage from the smaller-sized liposomes than from the larger liposomes. Interestingly, the curcumin concentration required to reduce plaque formation was lower for the influenza virus (approximately 100 nm in diameter) than for the pseudorabies virus (approximately 180 nm) and the vaccinia virus (roughly 335 × 200 × 200 nm). These data provide insights on the molecular antiviral mechanisms of curcumin and its potential use as an antiviral agent for enveloped viruses.