Researchers in Japan have discovered an infectious tick-borne virus in Hokkaido that can infect humans, according to a study published in Nature on Sept. 20. “At least seven people have been infected with this new virus in Japan since 2014, but, so far, no deaths have been confirmed,” said Keita Matsuno, a virologist at Hokkaido University, in a statement. The Hokkaido-based researchers discovered the novel Yezo virus after investigating two Japanese patients who had developed fever and systemic illness after presumed tick bites. The name Yezo is the historical Japanese name for the island of Hokkaido—one of Japan’s main islands—where the virus is thought to originate. Gene segments of the Yezo virus were identified in the blood and urine of both cases. Researchers also further identified five positive cases from blood samples of 248 patients suspected of bearing tick-borne diseases since 2014. The two most recent cases were infected in …