Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Jan;29(1):1-7.
doi: 10.3201/eid2901.212295.

Comprehensive Review of Emergence and Virology of Tickborne Bourbon Virus in the United States

Molly K Roe, Elise R Huffman, Yara S Batista, George G Papadeas, Sydney R Kastelitz, Anna M Restivo, Christopher C Stobart
Review

Comprehensive Review of Emergence and Virology of Tickborne Bourbon Virus in the United States

Molly K Roe et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2023 Jan.

Abstract

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic triggered considerable attention to the emergence and evolution of novel human pathogens. Bourbon virus (BRBV) was first discovered in 2014 in Bourbon County, Kansas, USA. Since its initial discovery, several cases of BRBV infection in humans have been identified in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. BRBV is classified within the Thogotovirus genus; these negative-strand RNA viruses appear to be transmitted by ticks, and much of their biology remains unknown. In this review, we describe the emergence, virology, geographic range and ecology, and human disease caused by BRBV and discuss potential treatments for active BRBV infections. This virus and other emerging viral pathogens remain key public health concerns and require continued surveillance and study to mitigate human exposure and disease.

Keywords: Bourbon virus; RNA viruses; United States; emerging virus; thogotovirus; tickborne viruses; vector-borne infections; viruses; zoonoses.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Gene segments of Bourbon virus. Bourbon virus genome comprises segmented, ≈10–11-kb, single-stranded negative-sense RNA. Specific proteins are encoded by 6 gene segments. GP, glycoprotein; M, matrix protein; NP, nucleoprotein; PA, polymerase acidic protein, PB1, polymerase basic protein 1; PB2, polymerase basic protein 2; –ssRNA, negative single-strand RNA.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Diagram (left) and electron micrographic image (right) of Bourbon virus showing putative structural organization of the virion. Red structures represent glycoproteins attached to the outside of the virion; green structures represent the 6 RNA gene segments coated with nucleoproteins. Scale bar is 100 nm. Electron micrographic image credit: Public Health Image Library (https://phil.cdc.gov).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Geographic range of BRBV and its vector, the Amblyomma americanum tick. Confirmed human cases of BRBV infection and virus detection in nonhuman animals are superimposed over historic and expanded geographic ranges of the lone star tick (A. americanum). Confirmed human cases of BRBV infection were identified by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and detection of virus in nonhuman animals occurred primarily through sampling of ticks and subsequent testing by using PCR and serologic testing of mammals. BRBV, Bourbon virus.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Female (A) and male (B) lone star ticks (Amblyomma americanum). Image credit: Public Health Image Library (https://phil.cdc.gov).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kosoy OI, Lambert AJ, Hawkinson DJ, Pastula DM, Goldsmith CS, Hunt DC, et al. Novel thogotovirus associated with febrile illness and death, United States, 2014. Emerg Infect Dis. 2015;21:760–4. 10.3201/eid2105.150150 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lambert AJ, Velez JO, Brault AC, Calvert AE, Bell-Sakyi L, Bosco-Lauth AM, et al. Molecular, serological and in vitro culture-based characterization of Bourbon virus, a newly described human pathogen of the genus Thogotovirus. J Clin Virol. 2015;73:127–32. 10.1016/j.jcv.2015.10.021 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ejiri H, Lim C-K, Isawa H, Fujita R, Murota K, Sato T, et al. Characterization of a novel thogotovirus isolated from Amblyomma testudinarium ticks in Ehime, Japan: A significant phylogenetic relationship to Bourbon virus. Virus Res. 2018;249:57–65. 10.1016/j.virusres.2018.03.004 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Savage HM, Burkhalter KL, Godsey MS Jr, Panella NA, Ashley DC, Nicholson WL, et al. Bourbon virus in field-collected ticks, Missouri, USA. Emerg Infect Dis. 2017;23:2017–22. 10.3201/eid2312.170532 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bai C, Qi J, Wu Y, Wang X, Gao GF, Peng R, et al. Postfusion structure of human-infecting Bourbon virus envelope glycoprotein. J Struct Biol. 2019;208:99–106. 10.1016/j.jsb.2019.08.005 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

Supplementary concepts