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Published : 26 Jul 2026, 07:28 PM
Scientists confirm the first known case of a New York tick carrying the deadly Bourbon virus, raising fresh concerns over the spread of tick-borne illness in the region.
Researchers at Stony Brook Medicine identify the virus in a lone star tick, a species common across the northeastern US.
The discovery follows the hospitalisation of a patient who was initially misdiagnosed with Lyme disease after standard treatments failed to work.
Bourbon virus can cause fever, fatigue, vomiting, rash and body aches, but there is currently no vaccine, cure or dedicated diagnostic test for the illness.
It was first identified in 2014, named after the Kansas county where the original case emerged.
"There are a lot of lone star ticks in New York and in the Northeast; we have dense populations, and when someone is infected with Bourbon virus, symptoms are similar to other tickborne infections," says Dr Luis Marcos, director of the Tick-borne Disease Clinic at Stony Brook Medicine.
Marcos, also a professor at Stony Brook University, says the virus is likely more common than official figures suggest, with many cases going undiagnosed due to overlapping symptoms with illnesses such as alpha-gal syndrome, a meat allergy also linked to lone star tick bites.
The virus has caused three confirmed deaths since its discovery, in Missouri and Kansas, with additional cases also detected in Oklahoma.
Health officials remain uncertain how far it may already have spread.
Researchers warn that as tick populations expand northward amid warmer conditions, more Bourbon virus infections could follow.
They are calling for increased surveillance and the development of reliable clinical tests to better track and treat the disease.
"Without identifying the cause of an infection, the chances of developing accurate diagnostic tests or effective treatments are minimal," Marcos says.
"That is why it is so important to first understand the true impact of the virus in high-risk areas."
