Chinese researchers have discovered a previously unknown tick-borne virus, the Asian longhorned tick nairovirus (ALTNV), after tracking patients with unusual illnesses since 2009. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, identified ALTNV in 10.4% of 3,163 patients who had been bitten by ticks. The virus causes flu-like symptoms, fatigue, gastrointestinal issues, and thrombocytopenia (low platelet counts), along with laboratory evidence of liver-cell injury or inflammation.