BACKGROUND Heightened surveillance of acute febrile illness in China since 2009 has led to the identification of a severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) with an unknown cause. Infection with Anaplasma phagocytophilum has been suggested as a cause, but the pathogen has not been detected in most patients on laboratory testing. METHODS We obtained blood samples from patients with the case definition of SFTS in six provinces in China. The blood samples were used to isolate the causal pathogen by inoculation of cell culture and for detection of viral RNA on polymerase-chain-reaction assay. The pathogen was characterized on electron microscopy and nucleic acid sequencing. We used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, indirect immunofluorescence assay, and neutralization testing to analyze the level of virus-specific antibody in patients’ serum samples. RESULTS We isolated a novel virus, designated SFTS bunyavirus, from patients who presented with fever, thrombocytopenia, leukocytopenia, and multiorgan dysfunction. RNA sequence analysis revealed that the virus was a newly identified member of the genus phlebovirus in the Bunyaviridae family. Electron-microscopical examination revealed virions with the morphologic characteristics of a bunyavirus. The presence of the virus was confirmed in 171 patients with SFTS from six provinces by detection of viral RNA, specific antibodies to the virus in blood, or both. Serologic assays showed a virus-specific immune response in all 35 pairs of serum samples collected from patients during the acute and convalescent phases of the illness. CONCLUSIONS A novel phlebovirus was identified in patients with a life-threatening illness associated with fever and thrombocytopenia in China. (Funded by the China Mega-Project for Infectious Diseases and others.)

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Indoor air quality has attracted more and more attention nowadays. Researches on the atmospheric haze occurred frequently in China show that the ventilated window has a great potential in improving indoor air quality. Experimental study on the effect of indoor air quality, indoor thermal environment and whole energy consumption of the test room, which are all tested under summer conditions. The results show that operating the ventilated window can filter PM2.5 and reduce the indoor concentration of CO2; While outdoor and indoor air PM2.5 concentration are about 100-300ug/m 3 and 40-130ug/m 3 , respectively, indoor air PM2.5 concentration will decrease 25% at most in an hour, it is suitable for running ventilated window; While outdoor air PM2.5 concentration is 300-600ug/m 3 and indoor air PM2.5 concentration is less than 130ug/m 3 , the indoor air PM2.5 concentration will increase 90%~128%, so the ventilation window should be shut down; Operating the ventilated window one hour indoor CO2 concentration is reduced 46% at most, compared with that the ventilated window is shut down; Under summer conditions, operating the ventilated window has little influence on head-foot temperature difference and indoor thermal comfort; When a ventilated window runs 24 hours continuously, its power consumption is very low, and the overall consumption is smaller compared with the ventilated window is closed, and the energy consumption increases by 14% or so. Therefore the appropriate operation methods and time of ventilated windows need to be set to reduce energy consumption.

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