Evidence of Bourbon virus linked to ticks found in North Carolina. What is it?
A relatively uncommon virus transmitted by ticks might be lurking in the underbrush of North Carolina, scientists say.
The Bourbon virus, which is linked to the lone star tick, has been detected in the antibodies of white-tailed deer in North Carolina, according to an article published in the May-June issue of the North Carolina Medical Journal.
No humans in the state have been infected, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says “a limited number of Bourbon virus disease cases have been identified in the Midwest and southern United States” as of 2018. But it can be fatal.
“It has likely been present for a long time, but we are just now becoming aware of it,” Maggie Silver, a health communication specialist for the CDC, told the Greensboro News & Record. “Now that we’ve discovered the virus, we are trying to determine how much of a public health burden it is.”
Antibodies were found in the white-tailed deer while the Wildlife Resources Commission was evaluating the health of animals in North Carolina, Dr. Carl Williams, who worked on the report, told WRAL.
“In this case, they detected virus neutralizing antibodies directed against the virus, which is a relatively newly characterized disease that has yet to cause identified illness in humans in North Carolina,” he said.
Antibodies are produced by the body to help stop foreign invaders such as viruses and bacteria, McClatchy News previously reported.
Their presence indicates what infection a person — or animal — might have already fought off. Public health experts have cited antibody tests as a possible help in determining what percentage of the population will need a vaccine to the novel coronavirus.
The Bourbon virus, however, is not comparable to COVID-19, WRAL reported.
According to the CDC, the Bourbon virus belongs to a group of viruses known as the thogotoviruses that are found all over the world. It’s likely transmitted by a tick or other insect and has caused fever, tiredness, rash, headache, other body aches, nausea and vomiting in those diagnosed.
“They also had low blood counts for cells that fight infection and help prevent bleeding,” the CDC said.
There is no treatment for the Bourbon virus and antibiotics are not effective against it — meaning doctors can only treat the symptoms, according to the federal agency.
At least two people have died after being infected with the virus, according to media reports and research journals.
The Bourbon virus was first detected in the U.S. in a man from Bourbon County, Kansas, in the spring of 2014, link fixedaccording an article published by the CDC in the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal. The man, who is not named, was under the age of 50 and was classified as “previously healthy.”
“While working outdoors on his property in late spring 2014, the patient had several tick bites and found an engorged tick on his shoulder several days before he became ill with nausea, weakness, and diarrhea,” the article states.
The man reportedly saw a doctor and was given doxycycline, an antibiotic regularly used to treat tick-borne illnesses. He was hospitalized and died 11 days after becoming infected, according to the article.
A Missouri state parks employee also died in June 2017 after being bitten by a tick on her property, the Associated Press reported.
Meramec State Park Assistant Superintendent Tamela Wilson died after spending 24 days in the hospital, according to the AP.
She was one of five known cases of the Bourbon virus in the U.S. at the time and the first in Missouri, The Washington Missourian reported.
“The natural history of Bourbon virus is not fully understood,” according to the North Carolina Medical Journal. “However, the pattern of human cases occurring in May and June suggests that risk to humans is largely based on transmission from the adult stages of the lone star tick.”
The lone star tick has been considered “the most aggressive tick in the Piedmont” of North Carolina since the 1980s, according to the Tick-Borne Infections Council of North Carolina Inc. Its numbers have “increased dramatically” in recent years, with larger populations concentrated in the central and coastal regions of the state.
The best way to prevent tick bites is by using insect repellents, covering arms with long sleeves and pants, avoiding bushy and wooded areas, and always checking for ticks after spending time outside, the medical journal article states.
This story was originally published June 19, 2020 at 5:12 PM with the headline "Evidence of Bourbon virus linked to ticks found in North Carolina. What is it?."
