The Alonshan virus (abbreviated as ALSV), discovered only in 2017, is currently transmitted by European ticks. According to the Düsseldorf Medical Center (CRM), the pathogen has already been found in Germany, Switzerland, Finland and France.
The virus was first discovered in patients who had flu-like symptoms. Tests for viruses (FSME, the causative agent of meningoencephalitis) gave a negative result, a previously unknown pathogen was finally discovered.
In a systematic study of ticks collected in Switzerland in 2021 and 2022, ALSV was found to be even more common than FSME. According to experts, it can be assumed that the virus also has epidemiological importance for humans.
